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Fulgurites: lightning strikes providing unique clues to palaeoenvironments
Author(s) -
Painter Deborah
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
geology today
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.188
H-Index - 17
eISSN - 1365-2451
pISSN - 0266-6979
DOI - 10.1111/gto.12330
Subject(s) - geology , lightning (connector) , window (computing) , lightning strike , word (group theory) , seismology , paleontology , oceanography , computer science , thunderstorm , linguistics , world wide web , philosophy , power (physics) , physics , quantum mechanics
Strange in appearance and unique in origin, fulgurites are named for the Latin word for lightning. They are formed when lightning strikes rocks or sand that contains silica. They can form remarkably quickly… seconds as opposed to years or millennia. That in itself makes them remarkable, but they have other unusual qualities that make them even more amazing. Some hold ancient air within that can offer a window into past environments.