what does lightning do when it hits the ground? Does it become hot?

Question

Does it become hot

Answer 1

If it hits sand, it will often make glass. It makes the ground very hot for a short time, having so much moisture around it draws the heat away quickly.

Answer 2

A number of things can happen. Actually, yes it does make the ground hot...and more than hot on occaision.

First, lightning channels themselves reach terrifically high temperatures - so simple contact with the surface will heat the surface soil to some extent.

Second, as the lightning current flows through soil it will heat it to some extent due to the soil's resistance. If the current disburses evenly, you probably won't find visible marks. On the other hand, if it penetrates in a preferred direction, it can form channels - as it often does through sand - you get a fulgarite (mentioned in a previous answer).

In more dramatic cases lightning can cause explosive heating. I once saw the afteraffects of lightning that had struck a tree, stripped a section of bark and a little wood from the top to the base of the trunk. From there, it blew a tapering trench about ten or twelve feet long and maybe a foot wide and deep in the earth (caused by soil moisture flashing to steam). Rocks, sod, soil, bark, wood - scattered everywhere in about a 100ft radius.

I've also seen whole trees disintegrated after a strike.

Answer 3

Lightening is "hot" in itself. When it strikes something, it discharges enormous amounts of electrical energy that have to flow the object struck. Everything resists the flow of electricity. The resistance causes heat to build up. The larger the flow of the electricity and the larger the object struck, the greater will be the build up of heat and an explosion will occur. All this happens in nanoseconds, if not in miliseconds. The lightening is "hot" in that it is a massive charge of electricity. The heat you're talking about is generated by the resistance and the resulting explosion.

Another thing to mention is that there are many kinds of lightening and it can strike in at least three ways. It travels from cloud to cloud in the sky, from cloud to ground, and from ground to sky.

Did this help?

Answer 4

The stream of electrical charge is transferred to the ground. Lightning can also go from ground to cloud.

The point at which the charge enters the ground may very well rise in temperature.

Answer 5

The confusion is accessible in because of the fact what you notice as lightning is the seen results of a particularly longer technique that "makes the relationship" between cloud and floor. component of that technique does contain "advantageous leaders" of charged debris starting to be up from gadgets the floor to fulfill "step leaders" coming down from the cloud. while those 2 tendrils of debris meet, a connection is shaped and BLAM, the advantageous debris rush down into the earth, burning all the way. The "connection" could actually linger for a 2d or 2, ensuing in double-flashes of lightning. The left component of the related image shows an upward-starting to be "advantageous chief" coming from a pole that became no longer unquestionably hit by lightning. desire that enables!

Answer 6

technically the electric current that is lightning travels from the ground up.

and yes, it's very hot. 54,000 degrees F.

Answer 7

many people it is so hot i can melt it lighning has been known to melt bolts on biuldings set trees on fire power outatages and a lot of bad things (if only we could harnest the power)
ps did you know that every second! there are at least 200 lighning storms going off in the world

Answer 8

lightning is just electric current. If you pump a lot of current through something that has a high resistance, you will generate heat... Same principle that your average electric space heater uses.

Answer 9

well dont have exact idea but i read sumwhere that it burns the vegetation nd trees..nd yeah dat 'glass is made' answer is pretty cool!!

Answer 10

It becomes Earthed and so dissipates.