fulgurite

American  

[fuhl-gyuh-rahyt] / ˈfʌl gyəˌraɪt /

noun

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

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fulgurite British  

/ ˈfʌlɡjʊˌraɪt /

noun

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

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fulgurite Scientific  

/ fl′gyə-rīt′,-gə- /

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

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Etymology

Origin of fulgurite

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

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 • Mar. 16, 2023

Lucky strike … A fulgurite of fused quartz, collected in Florida.

From The Guardian • May 24, 2013

Search this part of the desert and you may find a rare form of glass that looks nothing like a scruffy fulgurite but which has instead the jewel-like clarity of modern glass.

From The Guardian • May 24, 2013

Another type of fulgurite is commonest in dry sands and takes the shape of vertical tubes which may be nearly half an inch in diameter.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 3 "Frost" to "Fyzabad" by Various

Generally they are elliptical in cross section, or flattened by the pressure exerted by the surrounding sand on the fulgurite at a time when it was still very hot and plastic.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 3 "Frost" to "Fyzabad" by Various