Who knew? Apparently in the contest of rock vs. lightning, lightning can be seen to be a winner in a way that may have been previously unseen:
A zap of lightning can change the very structure of a rock, new research shows.
When a high-energy lightning strike bombards a rock, it can heat the rock to more than 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit (1,600 degrees Celsius), which can be twice as hot as lava and deform not only the appearance of the rock, but the chemical bonds that hold it together.
When this happens, the lightning-zapped rock becomes covered in natural glasses called fulgurites. In the new study, the researchers took a microscopic look at the quartz fulgurites and found “shock lamellae” — a thin layer of warped quartz crystals — underneath the glassy quartz, induced by the high pressure of the strike. This warped layer consists of distinct, parallel and remarkably straight lines and can only be seen with intense magnification. These features control the fundamental structure of the rocks.
Let’s find out more and check out the video on page 2
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