R398-4) 2 pieces Fossil Fulgurite petrified and 47 similar items

(Internal # R389-4) These are fossil fulgurite pieces from southeast Georgia in the United States, dug from a sandpit that sits well above the land surrounding it so it attracts numerous lightning strikes per year. Two pieces: 2? long and 1-3/4? long These are considered Fossils due to the color. Most are now solid sand structure all the way through (no holes). Called "petrified lightning", a great collectible; age not determined. Nice one of a kind display piece. Last photo is an illustration of an extraordinarily large fulgurite found in Libya as an example of how large fulgurites can get. What's a "Fulgurite"? This large specimen you see above from the Libyan Desert shows what happens when LIGHTNING strikes SAND !! "Fulgurite" means "lightning" in Latin, folks. Each flash of lightning releases an average energy of 1 billion Joules. Air temp may reach 10,000 - 30,000 degrees K., with currents from 10-100KA for microseconds. It vaporizes sand and rock to make amorphous glass. Tubular fulgurites may reach over 8 meters, but are fragile. What an interesting thing to add to your rock mineral collection! We make them very affordable, though smaller...most still have a hole where the lightning went through. Lechatelierite Var. Fulgurite is the varietal name given to fused Quartz, Si02, which has been fused by the action of lightning striking the Earth and locally melting the sand. The best known Fulgurites are found in Quartz sands, where the Fulgurites take the form of tubes, sometimes exceeding a half inch or more in diameter. This type of formation is called a Sand Fulgurite. As the lightning strikes the Earth and courses downward through the sand, the sand is instantly super heated (i.e., melted and fused). After cooling, glass-like hollow tubes (Fulgurites) can sometimes be located beneath the surface of the sand, generally decreasing in diameter and sometimes branching as they descend, sometimes extending for several feet. The outer surfaces sand fulgurites are often rough with adhering, unfused Quartz sand grains. The inner surfaces and openings of the tubes are usually smooth and glassy, in some specimens resembling an applied glaze, sometimes with blister-like bubbling present. Rock Fulgurites are formed when lightning strikes the surface of a rock, melting and fusing the surface, and sometimes the interior of the rock. The melting point of Si02 is 2950oF. The color of the glassy, fused Si02varies from pale gray, to smoky gray, to shiny black. The name Fulgurite is from the Latin: FULGUR (lightning). In addition to having been found in terrestrial Fulgurites, Lechatelierite (natural fused Silica, Si02) has also been identified in the glass-like particles found in Tektites. This includes Australites, Darwin Glass, Indochinites, Javanites, Libyan Desert Glass, Moldavites, Philippinites, Bediasites, Muong Nong-type glass, and Aouelloul crater glass (Impactite). Lechatelierite is not present in Obsidian, a terrestrial glass-like material associated with volcanic activity. Click on our Store tag for SIMILAR items.