The Nomenclature of Fulgurites opus 889
| 12 July 2026 0026 Hours | | Geology, Chemistry, Environment, Science |
The modern name for the material that melts
From a lightning strike, turning into a glass tube
Is 'Fulgurite,' from the Latin 'Fulgur,' meaning lightning.
Scholars and naturalists of the 18th and 19th
Centuries used various names.
The English used 'Fulminary Tube,' derived from the French
'Fulminaire.' (lightning tube).
Fulmination Tube was also an archaic English variant.
Blitzrohren also means 'Lightning Tube' in German.
The historic nickname, still used today is 'Petrified Lightning.'
When lightning strikes silica-rich sand or soil,
The ground is instantly heated to 3,270 degrees F (1,800 degrees C).
The center of the pathway is vaporized, fusing the surrounding sand,
Generally, into a fragile, hollow glass tube.
The underground route of the electrical discharge is left in the soil.
I have personally found that larger Fulgurites
Are more massive and do not show a tube formation.
Nevertheless, relatively few know of this wonderful phenomenon.