Blue Atlas Tears- The Mysterious Morrocan Glass
A backlit Atlas Tear specimen, showcasing surface texture and color (via Oceanstone Collections).
High Atlas Mountains, Morocco
Introduction and Geology
Enter Blue Atlas Tears, an extremely mysterious and seemingly rare glass byproduct found in the remote ridges of the High Atlas Mountains of Morroco. A recently discovered and extremely small deposit of what has been dubbed ‘Blue Atlas Tears’ from the Atlas Mountains, Morocco, has slowly and selectively crept into the North American gem market, much to the ponderance of tektite and obsidian gem dealers. These soft blue glass nodules are found in small quantities by local mountain miners of copper minerals and fossils, and are usually coated or cemented in a white perlite/barite/gypsum matrix, similar to Obsidian Apache Tears found in the silicious lava flow domes of New Mexico and Arizona.
Blue Atlas Tears sitting in matrix, precisely as they are found in Morocco. Photo direct from our Morroccan supplier, via Oceanstone Collections.
There have been no empirical studies of this material up until the writing of this paper, and its true nature has been the subject of pure speculation and theory, based on its external texture, which contains crater-like markings, apparent surface gypsum deposits, the internal presence of bubbles, and light blue coloring. Their occurrence in the High Atlas Mountains could be suggestive of true tektite origin, as per the presence of associated impact crater sites, namely the Isli/Tislit and Agoudal impact sites. Our original hypothesis was that the glass nodules, which are extremely rare, are the weathered product of ancient hydrated matrix obsidian, much like the North American Apache Tears, or, that they formed during a mid-flight explosion of an incoming meteorite reaching sonic-boom potential, crystallizing element-rich surface sediments near the mid-air explosion. However, our research has conclusively eliminated the possibility of tektite or volcanic origins, leaving a fascinating origin story and further speculation.
The aim of our research is to categorize this new glass species through elemental analysis, mass spectroscopy, geographic and geological context, and crystallographic imaging. Through the analysis of tenured professor and petrology researcher Dave Bailey, Head of the Hamilton College Geoscience Department, we provide empirical evidence that discludes Atlas Tears as an obsidian byproduct, for they lack rhyolitic or microphenocryst substructure. Composition and color is incredibly uniform and homogenous, there are abundant, small gas bubbles, and a specific gravity of ~2.39, which is atypical of most natural glasses. Bulk composition results were 76% SiO2 and 22% Na2O, with minor Al2O3 and CaO. Portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) picked up small (but significant) amounts of Fe, Ti, K, Cu, Zn, Zr, Pb, Ag, Ir, Ni, and Mn. The white matrix/crust was also analyzed and was found to contain various-sized sand particles embedded in a hydrated and altered glassy matrix (see image below). Individual mineral grains identified in this crust include: Quartz, Feldspar, Barite, Pyrite, and an unknown Pb-Mn oxide compound. Very messy.
Micro-imaging of the crystalline structure of the white crust/matrix associated with Atlas Tears, showing different-sized and diverse grains, courtesy of Dave Bailey and the Hamilton College Geoscience Department (scale 1mm; via Oceanstone Collections).
Professor Bailey suggests that these Atlas Tears may be the secondarily mineralized and hydrated slag byproduct of an ancient Arabic ‘Natron’ glass artisan trade with connections to the Silk Road and the Roman Empire. With that information, we then consulted with an ancient glass archaeologist and GIA-certified gemologist, whose family has been collecting and analyzing Roman and Arabic glasses for decades. After various analyses, including acid testing, bi-refractive index, and microscopic imaging, he remains completely unconvinced of a human-made origin, based on the many bubbles inside, which suggests that it heated and cooled extremely quickly, the unlikely blue coloration, which requires rarer and more expensive and hard to work with elements lie gold and cobalt, its unusual bi-refractive index unlike other ancient glasses, and the conchoidal texture on the surface of the stones adds another intriguing element. All in all, he was certain that it is not human-made, and that he had never seen anything like it before. Further investigation is necessary to exclude the possibility that these glasses are not the result of small-scale shock melting of surface sediments subject to subsequent weathering and devitrification, or some other unknown and highly energetic event (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/maps.12406).
Blue Atlas Tears up close with their visible surface texture and ethereal blue color and light clarity (via Oceanstone Collections).
Nobody seems to know for sure exactly what this material is or how it found its way into small matrix pockets of the Atlas Mountains, and our deep investigations have only left more questions about this mysterious blue glass. There is scarce scientific information online, aside from small and limited postulations and studies on the Mindat database (https://www.mindat.org/mesg-301447.html) and small Facebook groups, we could not find any information about this enchanting and soft uplifting light stone. Among that limited information, supplemented by conversations I’ve had with gem dealers, miners and geologists, and our own in-depth analyses, one thing is for sure: that this is a glassy byproduct of a primary glass-making event, weathered by the desert mountain into nodules with secondary surface mineralization of gypsum and barite. According to our Moroccan sources, there are only a few buckets of this material in all of existence, and it is found only in remote and limited pockets in somewhat random spots around the mountainous Midelt region of the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco.
Google Earth image of the Midelt and surrounding mountainous region of Morocco.
Energetic Properties & Uses
This light stone stimulates the throat and third eye chakras, opening and cleansing them allowing one to open to higher guidance and increased wisdom enabling one to communicate the knowledge gained with clarity and understanding. It also enables one to express thoughts with clarity and feeling, increasing ones communication skills in an articulate manner. Its ability to allow light to pass through and its smooth yet weathered texture cultivate an angelic frequency and it has a highly compatible feeling and energy with Libyan Desert Glass. Its soft energy and texture add to its overall calming effect. The cosmic rays these two stones embody carry an otherworldly and pure understanding with very soft energy for navigating dense emotional states while stimulating a higher and purer understanding of one’s thoughts and feelings.
