Lightning FAQ: What are the glassy formations resulting from lightning striking sandy soil?

By DAN ROBINSON Editor/Photographer

When lightning strikes the ground where the soil is sandy in nature, the intense heat from the lightning channel fuses the soil into hollow, glassy, brittle formations that are shaped like the lightning channel that formed it. These formations are called fulgurites. Mineralogical Research Co. has pictures of fulgurites for sale.

The photo above shows one of two 2 1/2" long fulgurites that I bought from Mineralogical Research. These were formed by lightning strikes on the Pecos Plains in western Texas.

This web site is made possible by support from CIS Internet.

GO: Home | Storm Expeditions | Photography | Extreme Weather Library | Stock Footage | Blog

Christianity & Faith >> Extreme Weather Library >> Storm Expedition Logs and Photos >> St. Louis Photography >> Dan's TV & Media Credits >>

Recent Posts Conservatives/COVID Music from the Road 6 Sept-Oct roundup Music from the Road 5 Music from the Road 4 Music from the Road 3 Music from the Road 2 Music from the Road 1 August recap Chicago lightning July recap 3 Arch strikes June 20-22 recap Spring recap Bike route connections Spotting vs chasing Coronavirus Dec-March roundup Midwest 10 years Sept-Dec roundup Quick Links - Weather Library - Weather Logs - Photography - Blog Home - Google+ - Blog Post Archives - Christianity & Faith - St. Louis Photo Gallery - Footage Archive - DashCam videos - Home Business Pages St. Louis Photography Stock Photography Van De Graaff Generators Weather Stock Footage Television ENG Editorial Pages Clients & Credits Icy Road Safety Personal Pages The Message Extreme Weather Gallery Weather Logs Dan's Blog Photography Weather Data Dan's Links Contact Information / Email / Phone Home Feeds: Dan's FeedRoom

Featured Weather Library Article:

Lightning FAQ Everything you ever wanted to know about lightning!
More Library Articles