Benjamin Franklin and the Fulminary Tube (Fulgurite) opus 881
| 3 July 2026 1717 Hours | | Geology, Environment, History, Science |
Having been very interested in studying and collecting fulgurites,
I began wondering whether or not Benjamin Franklin
Was familiar with these structures.
(Franklin's famous kite experiment occurred about 10 June 1752.)
'Fulgur' is Latin for lightning and of course Franklin was familiar
With many phenomena related to these electrical charges.
Fulgurites (usually long glassy tubes) result
When lightning strikes and melts sand or soil.
He was well aware of this phenomenon and corresponded about it.
Franklin, using large battery banks of Leyden jars (electrical capacitors),
Discharged high-voltage shocks into bowls of dry sand,
Creating miniature versions of fulgurites in a lab setting.
'Fulgurite' was coined in the early 19th-century,
Long after Franklin worked in the late 1700s.
He would have probably used the term 'fulminary tube.'
Even Charles Darwin studied and wrote about fulgurites
During his voyage on the HMS Beagle in Maldonado (now Uruguay),
Which he published and documented later in 1833.
These gentlemen did not miss a beat!