Lightning, can turn sand into glass by striking it and heating it to extreme temperatures. Then, with the disappearance of the heat source, the sand cools rapidly, forming glass. Lightning is created when static electricity is stored in the clouds.
Well, lightning definitely carries enough energy to turn sand into glass. But, lightning also follows a path of generally less resistance (it’s not a perfect “path of least resistance” thing).
Then, can glass be made from lightning hitting sand?
When it hits a sandy beach high in silica or quartz and the temperature goes beyond 1800 degrees Celsius, the lighting can fuse the sand into silica glass. The blast of a billion Joules radiates through the ground making fulgurite — hollow, glass-lined tubes with a sandy outside.
When lightning strikes, the bolt of extreme heat melts the sand and instantaneously forms a twisted, branching piece of clear, shining glass. While it is true that lightning can and does melt sand to form glass sculptures that resemble tree branches, the movie’s portrayal of how this happens is not accurate.
When I was writing we ran into the query “Why does sand turn to glass when struck by lightning?”.
The most common answer is: when a lightning bolt hits the ground, it’s hotter than the sun. Hot enough that it can melt and fuse sand, silica, and some soils! Petrified Lightning or “Fulgurite” is exactly that, Glass made by lighting! Fulgurite left behind by lightning is a veiny, organic looking artifact made of sand that’s been superheated and then quickly cooled.
What really happens when lightning strikes sand?
When the sand is struck by lightning, it heats up so much that it melts in an instant around the plasma stream. Since the lightning vanishes immediately, the water around the sand quickly quenches the mass and preserves what was essentialy the path of lightning through the ground, moments ago.
Can glass turn back into sand?
Short answer, yes. Purchase a rock tumbler and add some of your glass (coarsely crushed), water, and some abrasive. Turn on the tumbler for as many days or weeks as necessary to form “sand” (please follow “best-use” practices for your tumbler!). The tumbler is forming sand from a process called “selective abrasion”.