Where can obsidian be found?

Question

Where is obsidian found? Is it typically found on the surface or underground? If underground, how far under (meters or feet would be perfect)? Also, is it found everywhere on Earth, or just in areas where volcanic activity is (or was recently) high?

Answer 1

Obsidian is a volcanic glass. It is important to note that it is a glass because this indicates that the lava from which it formed cooled so quickly that there is no reoccurring crystalline structure.

In order for it to cool this quickly it would have to be exposed to surface temperatures, so it will typically be found on the surface. It is possible to be found underground if it was buried once formed.

It can be found in areas that experienced volcanic activity (including Virginia, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina where it might mostly be found underground, but very possibly at the surface from mining activity).

-Fred