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Material properties (size, color, texture) of fulgurites vary widely, depending on the size of the lightning bolt and the composition and moisture content of the surface struck by lightning. Most natural fulgurites fall on a spectrum from white to black. Iron is a common impurity that can result in a deep brownish-green coloration.
A lightning strike can also create a large Lichtenberg figure in grass surrounding the point struck. These are sometimes found on golf courses or in grassy meadows. [12] Branching root-shaped "fulgurite" mineral deposits may also be created as sand and soil are fused into glassy tubes by the intense heat of the current.
Vitrified sand is a type of natural glass, contrasted with manufactured glass in which soda ash or potash are added to lower the melting point. Pure quartz melts at 1,650 °C (3,002 °F). There are several natural processes that produce more or less melted sand and one man-made form: Fulgurite is sand fused by a lightning bolt hitting sand.
Lightning injuries are divided into direct strikes, side splash, contact injury, and ground current. [1] Ground current occurs when the lightning strikes nearby and travels to the person through the ground. [1] Side splash makes up about a third of cases and occurs when lightning strikes nearby and jumps through the air to the person. [1]
Being hit directly by a lightning bolt and becoming part of the main channel of electricity flowing from the cloud to the ground is one of the least common ways to be struck by lightning, Dr. Mary ...
Vitrification of quartz can also occur when lightning strikes sand, forming hollow, branching rootlike structures called fulgurites. [18] Trinitite is a glassy residue formed from the desert floor sand at the Trinity nuclear bomb test site. [ 19 ]
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In fact, lightning can, and often does, strike the same place more than once. Lightning in a thunderstorm is more likely to strike objects and spots that are more prominent or conductive. For instance, lightning strikes the Empire State Building in New York City on average 23 times per year. [166] [167] [168]