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Fulgurites

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  • Fulgurites

    Anywhere one encounters sand and thunderstorms, you may find fulgurites. Formed by the fusion of silica (quartz) sand and a lightning strike, these natural tubes or crusts mimic the path of the lightning bolt as it dispersed through the ground. Lightning can travel through sand to a depth of 50 feet, and fulgurites form when lightning temperatures reach at least 3270 degrees. As the bolt moves through the sand, it creates a 3D image of its pathway.

    Fulgurites found on the beach are most often spotted by the trailing edge sticking out of the sand. Unlike Charlie's beautiful Sahara sand crystals he showed us last week, typical fulgurites are the color of the sand or substrate in which they were formed, and visually resemble, well... call it what you want. Lol!!

    The world record for size was found in Florida in the 1990s and measures 17 feet long! An impressive collection can be found at the Outer Banks Beachcomber Museum as part of the Nellie Myrtle collection. Of course folks have now photoshopped fulgurites to the point where they resemble a T. Rex leg bone. To coin a phrase, fake news. Fulgurites are often called petrified or fossilized lightning, although there's nothing ancient about many of them.
    Child of the tides

  • #2
    now that is cool info,never heard of them before
    they look so cool too,especially the lst one.reminds me of a churro

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    • #3
      Thanks for sharing this. I will keep my eye out for them. I hadn’t heard this term before either
      South Dakota

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      • Havenhunter
        Havenhunter commented
        Editing a comment
        I found my one & only in Kitty Hawk 2 years ago. The OBX gets some impressive summer t'storms that create these formations. I had just seen the museum's collection when I spotted it or I would have passed it by thinking it was a sand-covered dog turd. Lol

    • #4
      Absolutely amazing Deb. Never heard of them before. I used to walk the beaches in Florida and never encountered one or I should say, I wouldn't have known if I did. Your comment to Gary's post is way too funny and probably something I would have done.
      Pickett/Fentress County, Tn - Any day on this side of the grass is a good day. -Chuck-

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      • #5
        Great post Deb! Most of FL is just sand with dirt on top. When we are digging for points once in a while we find little hollow tube fused pieces of fulgurites just like the top Arizona piece. I never got to dig one out "whole" or longer than a few inches. I think that other piece is a sandstone beach rock with worm holes in it lolol

        I have pieces of a large, glassy rock that was at the house my friend rented. He kept cutting his ankle on it while mowing the yard so he took a sledgehammer to it. I was there when he asked if anyone wanted it.....so I grabbed most of them up because it was so interesting... Years later he moved from that house (now over 20 years ago) and the owner asked him, "Where is my specimen rock?" He did not tell the owner what he'd done. I have to take some pics of the pieces. He told my friend that it was a huge lump of fused sand and dirt, a fulgurite like a ball, and that it was examined and wanted at USF, etc, etc. Apparently this piece had some His-Story.
        Last edited by tomclark; 02-12-2018, 10:21 AM.
        Professor Shellman
        Tampa Bay

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        • Havenhunter
          Havenhunter commented
          Editing a comment
          I'm not sure how many I may have passed by thinking they were dog pukies. Now I take a walking stick so I can be sure! 😝

      • #6
        Wow those are great thanks for sharing and the info
        Look to the ground for it holds the past!

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        • #7
          So many things in nature take forever to be created but those are probably created in an instant...really pretty natural artwork.
          The chase is better than the catch...
          I'm Frank and I'm from the flatlands of N'Eastern Illinois...

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          • #8
            All these years I have been walking these dunes and beaches and every time I came close to one of those I wouldn't touch with a stick for the same reason you mentioned Deb! from now on I'm checking them out but with a stick first just to be sure. Thanks.
            Searching the fields of NW Indiana and SW Michigan

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            • Havenhunter
              Havenhunter commented
              Editing a comment
              Definitely a stick! 🙄💩😝

          • #9
            ok that is wayyyy to cool . I love that 2nd pic looks like coral . I have always wanted to put rods down on the beach before a big storm .
            what was that movie where the guy did that and opened a store with them .
            love it Deb ...

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            • #10
              Cool! Thanks for sharing Deb!
              Josh (Ky/Tn collector)

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              • #11
                I’ve tossed several of them not knowing what it was! I’ll have to look a little closer next time.

                Von

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                • #12
                  I would have passed it by thinking it was a sand-covered dog turd. Click image for larger version

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ID:	285569 Put me in the ME TOO column Deb.
                  Bruce
                  In life there are losers and finders. Which one are you?

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                  • #13
                    Bruce after you pick up your first coyote terd thinking it’s a old knife with limestone deposits you stop and take your time . Yep been there done that darn it . I have one posted under tools that looks like one of those C T ‘s

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