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Poems and Thoughts by Frank Maurer

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Geology

Dinosaur Bone opus 68

I collected a piece of a dinosaur bone while in Wyoming.
I am quite sure it was part of a large creature's leg.
One could see the small pocking of tiny cells.
There were no rings, so surely not petrified wood.
Small riverlets of blue wended their way across the surface--
Certainly indicating the remnant from a once living animal.

How haunting and mind-blowing to be holding such a rock;
A part of a former being, dating back many scores of centuries.
Just holding it, put my own existence into exact perspective;
Truly, I have existed for only a speck of time
During our wondrous earth's geologic history.

Rare Earth Metals opus 134

Here we go again!
Now on the seabed, rare earth metals
Have been 'discovered' in brownie-colored muck.
The question, those who are aware are now asking,
'Just how might these elements be harvested
Without destroying this whole seabed ecosystem?'
Once again, our earth most likely will be compromised
As a result of the 'needs' of the Runaway Species!

As Pogo stated in 1970, commemorating the first Earth Day in S.F.,
"We have met the enemy and He is Us."

Water Levels--Rising and Falling! opus 178

It is now self-evident that our seas are rising,
Causing potential crises throughout the world.
Conversely, a critical trade route now faces impending danger,
The watermark of which is facing an ever-diminishing level ;
It is the almost vital drought stricken Panama Canal,
Requiring masses of water each day from its supplementing lake,
To service the perpetually rising and falling lock system.
Smaller ships are now recruited back into service,
As well as the need for the lightening of larger ships,
By transporting less cargo with decreased remuneration per voyage.

The daily 'prayer' with consequent action must be--
Oh, Lord, relieve us of our present fuel system,
To increase the more benevolent sun and wind!

My Text Encouragement to One, Fearful of Caves opus 221

Hello. No need to enter the cave:
Sit, contemplate, and revel
In the beauty of its entrance--
Then learn of its geologic formation,
For an intro-spection!  F.

There was Chicxulub and now Nadir? opus 446

Why can't freakin' science just leave things be!?
We are aware of the 'Chicxulub' meteor, 66 million years ago,
Leaving a 124 mile-wide crater under the Gulf of Mexico's
Yucatan Peninsula, and basically wiping out the dinosaurs.
(But, of course, birds are still around!)
As has been assumed, this asteroid acted alone.
But wait--another 5 mile-wide crater, formed at around the same time,
Has been found off the coast of West Africa and named the Nadir Crater.
The rim of the crater itself is about 9,200 meters wide,
With 22,000 meters of concentric circles called the brim.
The approaching 450-500 meter-wide asteroid became a fireball,
Hitting the Earth at about 72,000 km per hour.
Along with this was a 70 magnitude earthquake.
Of course, it is unusual to have two large impacts so close in time,
Both occurring at the end of the Cretaceous period,
The period when the dinosaurs became extinct.

Today Bennu, about the same size as the Nadir asteroid,
Is currently the most hazardous object orbiting near Earth.
With a probability of 1 in 2,700, Bennu could hit Earth about September 2182.
By that time the art of nudging asteroids out of orbit may be totally
perfected!?!

Water, Water Everywhere, but For How Long? opus 448

When I returned to California once again in 1978,
The purpose was quite different in that I was to be a small farmer.
The way I looked at my environment was indeed also quite different.
I already knew that this state had at most very few months of rain
And that agriculture depended mostly on its many aquifers.
These waters had remained eternally deep under the Earth's surface,
Until about the early 1900's when the first deep-water wells invaded below.
I also knew that California had no regulations
On well construction and the numbers thereof.
Thus, it struck me deeply during my first forays into ag land,
Witnessing field after field being watered with a torrent of sprinklers.
My first thoughts went deep down to the unseen aquifers below,
Wondering how long this kingdom of agriculture would survive.

Thankfully, 10 years ago, to most, the invisible
Sustainable Groundwater Management Act was passed,
Which started to regulate the amount of water taken out
To match that which comes in.
Lands taken out of agriculture are now harboring
Native species of plant and animal, as well as buffering flooding.
More recently, added to this was the Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program,
A support plan for the transition toward a smaller irrigated footprint.

The great question is, of course, are these efforts far too late,
Or will those in charge be able to make definitive decisions--
Or will food demands, economy, and political party mantras
Overwhelm reason and empirical evidence guiding outcomes,
Driving our way of life, as we know it, to simply collapse, unnecessarily?
I have witnessed the loss of historical forests in eastern Turkiye
As well as loss of the water table in now parched lands of India.

Life Adaptable! opus 452

We live on a planet that rotates and is tilted in relation to its star (sun).
This, of course, creates day and night, climate, seasons,
And incidental weather.
Basically, then, we survive in a world of circadian rhythms.
'Circadian' means daily cycles within our 24 hours.
Our planet originally had a four hour cycle,
Until slowed down by the newly formed moon.
There appear to be many 'Goldilocks' planets which are 'tidally locked'--
In other words, have no rotation--
Rotationally frozen by the near proximity to their sun.
The conundrum created is a planet with eternal night and day.
Can life survive with continual darkness or absolute light?
Could there be a migration from dark to light, allowing rest and regeneration,
Creating a 'circadian' clock in space instead of in time?
Is sleep or rest actually needed for life to survive?
On our own planet, life occurs in complete darkness
In caves, in the sea depths, and within our own bodies!
Additionally, sea life thrives here in complete darkness
Next to boiling, chemical vents.
There are a myriad other ways that cycles could be created,
But the main point is that relentless life may be found
In almost any type of unpredictable situation.
We must be ready for the most bizarre of things to be,
And also to have our very comfortable theologies be shattered.

Strange Footprints opus 461

Strange footprints in the hardened sand;
Seemingly the correct stride for a human,
But rounded anterior ends and crisp margins all around;
And indentations where strap attachments met the sole.
Yes, the dimensions were consistent with those of hominin tracks.
The track makers appeared to be from juveniles or small adults.
There is no final proof of actual shoes
Found from the Middle Stone Age--yet--
But surely why not--sandals would have been a lifesaver
From foot lacerations on a stony substrate!

Perhaps this apparel worn by us now
Is similar to 'theirs' so long ago!

Did Neanderthals Have a Feeling of Ownership? opus 499

I have now collected a good number of Neanderthal stone tools,
These from an old collection in France--tools 100,000 years old!
I hold each one, and feel how it might have been to skin a Fallow deer.
Many made of flint or chalcedony
Are more or less attractive in color and shape.
Some seem to have been more efficient in their task.
Some feel more comfortable when held, ready for the task.
From this I wonder if, as we might have behaved,
That there were 'favorite' tools, claimed exclusively for ownership.
'No, that is my tool--do not dare touch it.'
Did Neanderthals have a feeling of personal possession?
We now know they collected objects of 'useless' beauty,
Just for the attractiveness of the shell or stone.
By discerning beauty, did these people feel ownership
Of some of their stone tools?

There's Carbon dioxide, But What of Methane? opus 595

There is great awareness (by many, but far too few),
Of the slow metamorphosis of our atmosphere
From increasing CO2 levels which is causing warming
And thus melting of our great ice sheets
As well as dangerous acidification of our seas.
But now consider, with warming of our planet,
The slow, but steady melting of the tundra,
With simultaneous release of methane from the frozen organic matter.
(Yes, we also observe methane escaping from gas wells,
And many other 'leaking' sources about the planet, as well.)
Sinking roads and villages are becoming obsolete, demanding abandonment.
Moreover, when one descends underground
Into the experimental deep pits below the surface,
The immediate stench of decaying material is more than evident.
This will be the future great challenge for the human population.
Will the O2/methane balance remain in favor of O2?
Be reminded of the methane (reduction) atmosphere of the past,
And how stromatolites overwhelmed all life,
With their need for CO2 and their exhaled O2,
Shifting our atmosphere to what we know today.

Libyan Desert Glass opus 634

As a boy, I lived in Newton, Massachusetts, about 10 miles from the Atlantic.
Occasionally my parents would take us children to the beach.
Much less frequently, I would walk the beach and find pieces of worn glass.
Later, living in California, I would travel to towns 
Where waste was formerly and sadly dumped into the sea.
Amongst the old pots and pans, batteries, car parts, and electronics,
One would find pieces of water-worn bits of glass of many colors.

Now, with an added interest in meteorites and tektites,
I have even later learned of Libyan Desert Glass, 29,000,000 years old.
 
These random glass chunks of usually yellow, but sometimes dark or green,
Were discovered in one fall in 1932--the specimens I have were collected in 2008.

So, just how is this glass of the desert actually formed?
Well, we have great heat and sand--a suspicious combination.
And why is this glass found only in this particular desert?
By chance, a meteorite fell in the Libyan Desert;
Hot material; which on contact, melted the sand, forming glass 'blobs'!
A second hypothesis states that glass was formed from an airburst.
It appears this is one of the very few areas on a desert, except the Sahara,
Where this has serendipitously occurred.
What a wonderful find to enchant those outer space lovers.
If this enthralls you, look up how a tektite is formed--
So subtlely different than the formation of this wonderful Libyan Desert Glass!

A Follow-up on 'Number Five' opus 635

I previously wrote a note about Rowan's (grandson's) birthday.
When he arrived to celebrate my birthday,
He immediately pulled out a small lava stone.
He said it was from his bar-b-que and was for me.
The party continued on, until I reminded him of his lava stone gift.
I asked if he would like to see one of my big red lava stones.
He responded affirmatively and I said it was by the porch. 
Astoundingly, he gave a quick nod and ran to that destination,
Knowing exactly where it was.
Barely being able to lift it, he moved it out into the open.
He looked at it, rubbed it, and then sat on it.
I asked him if he would like that stone in exchange for his.
Immediately he responded and posed for photos, sitting on his new gift.
Thus leaving a happy grandpa with a little lava stone
And a five-year-old boy with more than he was able to carry!

Deep Sea Mining of Polymetallic Nodules opus 636

The new potential of deep sea mining 
For ever-more-needed metals is looming large.
The seabed in places is littered with polymetallic nodules,
Containing nickel, cobalt, manganese, and copper.
Mining firms claim the deep seabed could provide 
A major new source for these minerals.
The nodules could be retrieved with an uncrewed collector--bus size,
By crawling along the seabed, hoovering up nodules, 
Which are sent up in a miles-long tube to a waiting ship.
Are there environmental impacts with this method?
Supporters say it will cause less disturbance than terrestrial mining.
However, many marine scientists and policy makers disagree--
Sea sponges and anemones grow on the nodules;
Sediment plumes from the mining may harm creatures used to clear water;
Noise pollution could interfere with animal communication and navigation;
Yet unknown species may be eliminated before identification.
Hundreds of researchers have called for a pause because of a knowledge gap.
Some companies like auto makers and tech firms
Have pledged not to use seabed minerals.
One mining company is developing robots that would hover above the seabed,
With mechanical arms to pluck only uncolonized nodules,
Thus eliminating sediment plumes, reduce noise pollution, leaving the seabed intact
Such a robot needs further deep sea testing for validation.
International regulations are in a turmoil, with several mining firms ready to begin!
Once again desperation for resources, accompanied with capitalism,
May result in yet one more environmental habitat to be in great danger.

A Rusophycus opus 664

As I now age, I find I need to rest occasionally.
A baby also needs rest, and the elderly follow the same pattern.
My interest in Trilobites was at first
Limited to a collection of various Trilobite specimens.
One day I discovered a resting place or burrow (Rusophycus) fossil.
Its form is a rounded, elongated fossil mound.
The specimens available are relatively scarce, but now that I am aware,
I come across a number of these wonderful specimens online.
Of course, as said, I now need rest, just as much as the Trilobite!
Trilobites rested, but also would settle down into the mud to hide from predators,
Such as the voracious Eurypterids or 'sea scorpions'.

('Rusophycus is the resting/ feeding activity trace of the once present animal,
recording the outline of the trace maker, in this case the Trilobite.
On occasions the Cruziana will also be present; this is the trace or track,
made when the organism moved to, or from, that spot.')

Why a Pet Rock? Have a Trilobite! opus 670

Rocks are very old and, as a pet, are easily cared for.
Unless one is knowledgeable in geology,
A rock, considering it sternly, is just a rock.
Of course one usually adds, at least, wiggly eyes.
Now consider a Trilobite as a pet.
They are very old, maintaining a rock-like morphology,
Which is what this transformed body of a Trilobite is--a fossil.
They were once alive--no pretending there.
Trilobites existed so long--270 million years,
That they morphed into 25,000 species during their time span!
Thus, there are a myriad of shapes and sizes to choose from.
But most of all they had real eyes--prominently placed.
No need for anything fake or wiggly here.
(Of course, there were a few species which were totally blind!) 
And finally, gazing upon its beautifully formed body,
One has to be continually stunned and humbled,
Realizing how very long they thrived on our planet,
Comparing our perhaps 200,000 years to their nearly 300 million, 
Especially considering all the planetary monkeying we are doing.
They disappeared, to no fault of their own,
As a result of the great cooling of their ocean habitat.
What a truly significant pet--there should be one in every home!

David Attenborough opus 673

The middle of the night, as I age, becomes more familiar.
I fell asleep, then woke at 2 AM to a PBS Nature program.
It featured the long life and career of David Attenborough.
He began as a child, collecting English fossils in his neighborhood.
Then with the usual and finally, successful career attempts, got onto TV.
He created, in his own style, several notable nature series.
After 'translating' the many lives of frogs and birds,
He wished to explain the very early living life of the planet.
What would he choose, but that from his childhood--fossils.
From my own present passion with fossil Trilobites,
What did he explain, but his similar passion for Trilobites!
I was very familiar with David, but this brought me ever closer to him.
Our lives were parallel in many ways as we grew,
He being more world renowned, and I, in a smaller, but similar sphere.
Our worldly passions and concerns were parallel,
But through circumstance and drive, some of us reach wider horizons.
Both are vital, the smaller sphere augmented and supported by the greater.   
Truth and awareness are vocalized and needed by wide and local voices.
One should not boast if large, nor be discouraged if small.
All voices of encouragement are severely needed--especially now.

The Fulgurite Sitting Before Me opus 718

Having recently 'discovered' Libyan Desert Glass,
I am concentrating on another phenomenon caused by great desert heat.
Of course, the Glass is most likely caused by a hot meteor-like object,
Striking a desert area and melting the sand to glass.
Another object being turned now in my hand is a fulgurite--
A long tube of melted, fused sand, caused by a lightning strike.
Both are thought-provoking and amazing to handle.
King Tutankhamen supposedly utilized pieces of the Glass,
But I wonder if any human group used the fulgurites
For any purpose--decorative or utilitarian?
Surely a thought for one in our modern times to contemplate,
Transporting one's mind back to our human early past
And our present-day consideration of their insight towards such objects. 

Dinosaur Footprint Hunting opus 731

While teaching in Lesotho, Africa,
I had my first child, Pierre,
Who at two, 'followed' me around the countryside,
Collecting bees at night 
And finding dinosaur footprints in daylight.
This, all between my biology classes at the University.
One spectacular trip was to a large valley,
Where there were myriads of tumbled sandstone blocks,
Strewn randomly throughout the area.
I slowly walked amongst these boulders,
When suddenly I found my first prints.
A large, three-toed series of impressions,
Spread across the flat surface.
I carried with me plaster of paris, a water container,
Strips of cardboard and a clutch of paperclips.
I made a cardboard border around the print,
Tied together at the ends, with the necessary clips.
Water and plaster were mixed to a soft-solid consistency;
Then poured into the void, the print primed with vaseline.
Several prints were cast and then the waiting time.
Each was pulled up and removed, now in a solid state.
These prints were made in the seventies
And many remain today (2026) on my farm to our delight.
The five decades of preservation here on the farm,
Equals nothing to the 60 million years of waiting in the sandstone,
To be admired by humans today--
They, nowhere to be found during this creature's long past reign.

Lita, The Nevada Mountain Woman opus 760

She came to live in Nevada with her husband
To care for her aging parents.
Peter, her husband, now works in the gold fields,
Driving large equipment.
Lita's voice is soft and has a tone of gentle supplication.
She tends to the household, with a ready meal each evening.
She also cares for her animals, especially her beloved peacocks.
Her abilities reach out to building pens
And other needed construction around the household.
When time and the weather allow,
The two of them hunt in the desert and sell fulgurites.
That is how I found her online, writing her an inquiry letter.
Collecting (by mail) fulgurites myself, 
I really wished to learn her trade.
How do you find them?  How do you collect them?
So many questions from a novice fulgurite admirer.
Well, wind blows, and the resulting product emerges from the sand!
Very simple, but resulting in hours spent ferreting out these objects.
Such citizens give color and life to our nation.
I am in awe and wish I were once again young, joining the hunt!

The Hajj--2026 opus 853

It is near the time when thousands of Muslims
Will undertake the long voyage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
This journey (the Hajj) is one every Muslim aspires to undertake
At least once in a lifetime.
The Kaaba is the cube-shaped, most sacred mosque at the center.
The Black Stone (Hajar al-Aswad) sits in the Kaaba's eastern corner.
This Stone is the world-wide orientation for prayer.
The Kaaba's corner is the starting point for the holy walk.
The Tawaf is the act of walking around the Kaaba 
Counter-clockwise seven times. 
If one is close enough, one attempts to touch or kiss the Stone.
No close examination of the Black Stone has ever been allowed,
So there are several possibilities for what it may be.
One possibility is impact glass or an impactite.
Another is a meteorite (stony or carbonaceous), a popular choice.
Arabian tradition venerates stones seen falling from the sky.
It is said that the Black Stone descended from Jannah (Paradise).
Lastly, it is possibly a terrestrial rock: agate, obsidian, or basalt.
The Black Stone is no longer a boulder, but 8 to 15 fragments,
As a result of fires, floods, and theft.
It is now cemented and encased in a silver frame.
The historical story suggests the Black Stone was originally white,
But it took on the sins of humanity and turned black.
Further, the story states the Stone was given
By the Angel Gabriel to Ibrahim (Abraham) and his son, Ismail,
To be placed in the Kaaba as a cornerstone.

I lived in Turkiye, teaching for five years,
So I was steeped in Islam and its traditions
And thus, I learned a great deal about this religion.

Flooding I. New Orleans opus 862

This is the first of four parts on the subject of Flooding.
In the 'pioneer days,' when people were choosing a town site,
The several criteria used to decide where to build often included:
Proximity to water, near a railroad, good grazing, nice vistas.
Beyond that, future challenges or dangers were often not considered.
Flaws we now see were often overlooked in those founding days!

New Orleans is sinking (subsidence).
They now say this existence has an end.
The city will eventually be gone under water.
Is it the soil?  Is there no rock substrate?
What of the topography?  Why is water seeping in?
This city is hit with a double whammy.
Not only is it sinking, but the ocean is also quickly rising.
Huge efforts have been made to modernize the 'defence.'
Almost all (99%) of the city's population risks severe flooding.
The city was founded in a bowl with no drainage.
It is below sea level and protected only by levees.
Pumping into Lake Pontchartrain or the Mississippi River
Is a limited solution against flooding.
The city is at a point of no return.
Is relocation the only real solution to this nightmare?
Again, the sea is rising and the land mass is subsiding.
The problems are defined as follows:
Pluvial or surface flooding overwhelms the drainage systems.
Fluvial or riverine flooding results from rivers destroying levees.
Storm surge and coastal flooding result 
From hurricanes and tropical storms.
Coastal flooding results from high tides 
Augmented by rising sea levels.
This latter type of flooding affects areas 
Both inside and outside the levee system.

There are those who declare it all a hoax.
Some leaders are far from being empirical.
Many people have no idea of the word's meaning:
'To observe for evidence and thus to consider consequences.'
Will we ever free ourselves from this labyrinth,
This endless thoughtless maze?

Flooding II. Sacramento, California opus 863

California has had seven trial and permanent capitols.
Sacramento was the final area decided upon.
Native Americans reportedly questioned, "Why there?"
It was surrounded by a swamp, flooded in the winter.
And it was constantly plagued by mosquitoes!
Indeed, the whole town was raised by filling in the roads and first floors!
A deep swale remains, showing the original topography.
Tours today show some of the buried first floors.
Sacramento is so flood-prone that it ranks second only to New Orleans.
(San Francisco was an 'emergency capitol' from the 1862 Great Flood.)
There are 1,100 miles of levees, built in the early 1900s.
There is constant seepage, erosion, and potential structural failure.
The levees must hold not only during storms but 24/7 all year. 
With Climate Change, there is a constant risk of catastrophic 'megafloods.' 
Millions of inhabitants depend on critical infrastructure.
Much of Sacramento (Natomas and the Pocket) 
Are below the adjacent river's water line. 
With the right conditions, the city would be underwater by 10 feet.
The local International Airport would be under 15 feet of water.
Five hundred thousand people are in the direct path in this area.
Huge efforts have also been made here to modernize.
It is only a matter of time before such a catastrophe occurs.

Flooding III. The Monticello Dam opus 864

I live on a small 37-acre farm east of Winters, California.
West of Winters sits the huge Lake Berryessa.
The Lake is held in by a large cement dam;
Monticello Dam, a Roman arch on its side.
The dam is constructed between two mountain hillsides.
This was the streambed of Putah Creek, now blocked.
The dam is very well-constructed and safe,
With a safety rating between 10,000 and 1,000,000.
To prevent an overflow, topping the dam,
The famous 'Glory Hole,' a 72-foot-wide circular pipe, 
Diverts water 200 feet down to bypass the dam,
When the reservoir levels reach 440 feet.
In spite of that, I talked with an environmental engineer.
Who said that if the dam failed, my farm and the city of Davis,
Would be under 8 to 10 feet of water in minutes.
(After this discussion, I always thought of the populations
Below the earthen dam at Oroville, California, 
Which was close to collapsing a few years ago.)
Again, my farm and Davis would be inundated in minutes,
With a raging wall of water eight feet high.
After some research, one will most likely find
A potential water problem almost anywhere!

Flooding IV, The Mississippi opus 865

Human, European, settlements began two centuries ago
Along the banks of the Mississippi River, which often flooded.
It was a continual battle using massive levee networks.
This method did not work well and finally entire towns 
Were systematically moved to higher ground.
As a young person, I always wondered why nothing was ever done,
Except to continually rebuild these towns.  It made no sense to me.
Finally after the Great Flood of 1993, I learned that whole towns were moved.
The strategy was for FEMA to buy these properties and
Relocate the land owners; it was known as 'managed retreat.'
The new towns were on higher bluffs, with green areas created below.
The 19th century was known as the 'Levees--Only Illusion.'
In the 1700s, the early French and American settlers
Began building levees, which later became a 'levees-only' policy.
The Great Flood of 1844 wiped out St. Louis settlements
Of both the Europeans as well as those of the native tribes.
Congress passed the Swamp Act of 1849, building even higher levees!
Kaskaskia was the original capitol of the Missouri territory and the state.
 By 1881, after a series of severe floods, Kaskaskia was gone.
The river had even cut a new channel, destroying most of the town.
The most destructive flood in US history was the Great Flood of 1927.
This fiasco changed the county's approach to flood management.
Continuous rainfall caused levees to burst in 145 places.
In some areas, the river widened to 80 miles, 
Submerging 27,000 square miles. More than 700,000 people were displaced.
The Flood Control Act of 1928 financed the world's longest levee system,
With spillways to channel water away from cities.
Even still the effect was to box in the river, not move the towns.
After months of rain in 1993, officials realized that levees were not the solution,
And that was the beginning of wholesale town relocations.
Towns such as Valmeyer and Grafton, Illinois, and Rineland, Missouri,
Were moved to the overlooking bluffs, including whole houses.
Because of the present-day cost of moving whole towns,
People are slowly leaving lowlying areas or elevating houses on stilts.
Climate Change has made the river's flooding more frequent, less predictable.
Some towns like West Alton, Missouri, have lost population
From 4,000 down to as few as 360 during the floods of 1973, 1993, and 2019.
The river has continually been used for trade and transportation,
But even now, a cost has always been involved.

Our Tilted Earth--A Quiet Thought opus 880

Our wonderful Earth's axis is on a tilt.
This planet also rotates on that axis.
Because of these physical attributes,
We inhabit a world with seasons and day and night.
Except for the equator, other area's day-lengths vary.
Shorter days, and further north, cold winter reigns.
To make winter freezes more benevolent,
The water molecule in its frozen solid state,
Is less dense than its liquid counterpart,
Which maintains ice as a floating solid.
Consider what would happen if ice sank as it froze,
Fresh water creatures would possibly not survive
Under many feet of solid lethal ice.
The flukes of our planet are truly fortuitous.
When considered as a juxtaposed group of phenomena,
We creatures all, must give thanks each day.
But now we must cope with the relatively rapid
Challenging Climate Crisis of our own making.

Benjamin Franklin and the Fulminary Tube (Fulgurite) opus 882

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!  

What of an Earth Which did not Rotate? opus 886

I have written about our Earth (opus 879)
Which has a tilted axis and rotates on that axis.
This creates our various seasons and varying day lengths.
But with our future exploration for habitable planets,
We might find a 'Goldilocks'  with some good qualifications,
But it did not rotate at all, similar to our moon.
How would we colonize such a stationary body?
The sun-side would have permanent excessive temperatures,
While the dark side would be continually cold.
Of course, we could construct specially adapted housing,
Which would, at great effort, maintain life.
However, living in the range might be more practical,
Between the two light extremes and venture appropriately
Into each hemisphere as needed for life sustenance.
The dark side could be used for solar, telescopic exploration, 
While the sun-side would be a massive area, dedicated
To photovoltaics and energy production for the colony.
If we are going to explore and colonize the Universe,
We humans must be ready to compromise
In perhaps very demanding and uncomfortable ways.

The Nomenclature of Fulgurites opus 890

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.