A single bolt of lightning can deliver5 gigajoule of energyenough to power anaverage U.S. householdfor more than a month.
If conditions are right, the fused sand forms long hollow tubes called fulgurite.
The term comes from the Latin wordfulgur, which means “lightning”.
Although lightning strikes earth at least a million times each day, only rarely does fulgurites form.
Their shape reflects the path lightning bolt took as it dispersed into the ground.
Because of this, fulgurites are sometimes called fossilized lightning.
But the inner surfaces are usually smooth and glassy due to rapid cooling and solidification of the sand.
They arent precious but are appreciated by many for their scientific value.
Its actually a sculpture (driftwood with sand toppings) created by Sandcastle Matt.
you’re free to see his work on hisFlickr stream.
Another falsely captioned image.
Sources:Wikipedia/Minresco/Utah Geological Survey/Fossilized Lightning by Jeff J.
