glasartigen

Glasartig, in geology and materials science, describes materials with a glass-like, amorphous structure. The English equivalent is glassy or glass-like. It characterizes substances that lack a long-range crystalline order and have properties typical of glass, usually produced by rapid cooling of a melt, which prevents crystal formation. Glasartige solids are typically isotropic and may be transparent or translucent; their surfaces frequently show conchoidal fracture.

Natural examples include obsidian, a volcanic glass formed by rapid cooling of silica-rich lava; fulgurites created when lightning fuses sand or rock; tektites formed from terrestrial rock melted by meteorite impacts. Natural glass can also result from extreme cooling in deserts or beaches where glassy grains form.

Industrial and synthetic examples include common window glass (soda-lime glass), which is an inorganic glass, as well as glassy polymers and metallic glasses (amorphous metals). Glassy materials are characterized by an amorphous arrangement of atoms, lacking the periodic lattice of crystals. They have a glass transition temperature at which they become soft, rather than a sharp melting point. They exhibit conchoidal fracture and isotropy in bulk, and their properties depend strongly on composition and cooling history.

Applications range from containers and light transmission to specialized optics and coatings; ongoing research explores improved durability, thermal resistance, and the production of bulk metallic glasses with unique strength and elasticity. Glasartige remains a core descriptor in geology and materials science for describing non-crystalline, glass-like solids.