Czech Republic
Sand Origin
Polanka nad Odrou
Random Sand Fact
In Czechia, people dig for sand that a meteorite melted into green glass.
Around fifteen million years ago, a meteorite struck what is now southern Germany. Sand melted, was flung several hundred kilometres through the air, and fell over what is now southern Czechia as green drops of glass. In Czech they are called vltavín.
The pieces often lie several metres underground. Fine specimens can now cost more than gold, and in southern Czechia people speak of the green fever. Illegal diggers leave deep holes in fields and forests, and while some dig, others keep watch for police along the roads.
Anyone who wants to search legally may pick from the surface of fields, with the landowner’s permission, or dig under supervision at a museum. Sometimes the glass is lying right there, glinting.
