Strong almost beyond compare and able to stand huge blasts, glossy, black obsidian is forged in the very fires of the earth. What a block! But real obsidian is a little different to the powerhouse you know in Minecraft.
As reflected in the game, obsidian's made when lava rich in silicates very rapidly cools, such as when it hits water. But while real obsidian looks like it’s also a deep, opaque black, if you hold it to the light you’ll usually see it shine with a green glow. That’s because obsidian is glass, and rather than being super tough, it’s brittle, shattering easily.
But this lends obsidian its greatest strength, something early humans knew all about. We’ve been using it for 700,000 years or so to make cutting blades and arrowheads, because broken obsidian has amazingly sharp edges. Carefully knap it and you can create a great variety of cutting tools, leading our Stone Age ancestors to establish obsidian factories and trade networks that could extend for a thousand miles.
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