Fulgurite Raw Specimen

Fulgurite is the name given to tubes formed when lightning strikes sand or soil. Lightning carries extreme amounts of static energy that gets released in one very small spot where lightning hits. For nearly an instant, the surface becomes hotter than the surface of the sun and crystallizes immediately. The heat of the bolt vaporizes the center of Fulgurite, leaving it with a tubular form. These tubes have also been referred to as “petrified lightning” and “fossilized lightning”, but its name comes from the Latin word “fulger”, meaning “lightning”. Fulgurites are commonly found in 1” to 3” pieces, but can be found as big as 5’-10’. Most of the time the larger pieces are extremely fragile and near impossible to unearth in one piece. The Yale Peabody museum located in New Haven, Connecticut has one of the largest pieces of Fulgurite at 13’. A photo that we were able to capture of it in person is located below!