fulgurite

[ fuhl-gyuh-rahyt ]

noun

1. a tubelike formation in sand or rock, caused by lightning.

fulgurite

/ ˈfʌlɡjʊˌraɪt /

noun

1. a tube of glassy mineral matter found in sand and rock, formed by the action of lightning

fulgurite

/ fl′gyə-rīt′,-gə- /

1. A slender, usually tubular body of glassy rock produced by lightning striking and then fusing dry sandy soil.

Word History and Origins

Origin of fulgurite¹

1825–35; < Latin fulgur ( fulgurate ) + -ite ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of fulgurite¹

C19: from Latin fulgur lightning

Example Sentences

I have a lot of material samples, like foams made out of aluminum, and a piece of glass, called fulgurite, that’s made from lightning hitting sand.

From New York Times

Quasicrystals might also form in other materials that were generated in violent conditions, such as fulgurite, the material made when lightning strikes rock, sand or other sediments.

From Scientific American

The researchers examined an unusually large and pristine fulgurite sample formed when lightning struck the backyard of a home in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, outside Chicago.

From Reuters

When a lightning bolt strikes a mountaintop, it can melt rocks in a flash, leaving a narrow glassy scar called a fulgurite.

From Science Magazine

When exposed to the elements, glasses like fulgurite slowly and steadily absorb moisture, “sort of like a sponge,” says Jonathan Castro, a volcanologist at the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz.

From Science Magazine