When lightning strikes sand?

Fulgurites are formed when lightning strikes the ground, fusing and vitrifying mineral grains. Peak temperatures within a lightning channel are known to exceed 30,000 K, with sufficient pressure to produce planar deformation features, or "shock lamellae," in SiO 2, a kind of polymorphism (materials science). read more

Incredibly, lightning can and does in fact create something amazing when it hits sand, but the conditions have to be perfect. When it hits a sandy beach high in silica or quartz and the temperature goes beyond 1800 degrees Celsius, the lighting can fuse the sand into silica glass. read more

Sand melts at about 1800 degrees Celsius, but the temperature in a bolt of lighting can reach 30,000 degrees, or more than five times the temperature on the surface of the sun. If conditions are right, the fused sand forms long hollow tubes called fulgurite. read more

Such structures can be preserved if and when the sand is turned into rock, giving proof that lightning was around many millions of years ago. Antony Wyatt, Warri, Nigeria Yes, in fact it is a common place thing that happens in nature. read more