Lightening - Creates Unique 'Fossilized Lightening Rock' (+ cannot be replicated in a laboratory )
After
lightning struck a tree in New Port Richey, Florida, a team of scientists from the
University of South Florida (USF) discovered that
this strike led to the formation of a new phosphorous material in a rock.
This is the first time such a material has been found in solid form on Earth and could represent a member of a new mineral group.
"We have never seen this material occur naturally on Earth – minerals similar to it can be found in meteorites and space — but we've never seen this exact material anywhere,"
According to the researchers,
high-energy events such as
lightning can sometimes cause unique chemical reactions which, — in this particular case, — have led to the formation of a new material that seems to be transitional between space minerals and minerals found on Earth.
"When lightning strikes a tree, the ground typically explodes out and the surrounding grass dies, forming a scar and sending electric discharge through nearby rock, soil and sand,
forming fulgurites, — also known as 'fossilized lightning,'"
After lightning struck a tree in Florida, scientists discovered that this strike led to the formation of a new phosphorous material in a rock
www.earth.com