When Lightning strikes the sand does it really turn to glass like in the movie Sweet Home Alabama??

Question

Can you really dig it up? If I went to the beach could I go dig up some glass?? Has anyone ever done this??

Answer 1

It is called a fulgurite. They come in all sorts of shapes and sizes.

Here is the wiki
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fulgurite

Answer 2

Yeah, the sand turns into glass because of all the heat. You could go to the beach and find some glass made by lightening, but what are the chances of that? Your odds are better if you go right after a storm that hit the beach. Don't think you would have to dig too far.

Answer 3

Forming and shaping glass requires high and sustained heat; therefore, it's unlikely that you could create glass from a lightning strike. First, the electrical discharge will travel the path of least resistance: through the metal mold and not the sand. Furthermore, since lightning is virtually an instantaneous strike, the heat transfer from the metal mold to the sand would also be instantaneous. The core of your mold would likely remain sand, with only a very thin layer of glass formed at the metal/sand interface, if at all.

Answer 4

Yes to the first and yes to the second...the shop in the movie where all the glass objects were...some of those were actually made while that movie was being filmed.

Answer 5

Glass Made From Lightning Strikes

Answer 6

Yes but it has to be the right kind of sand to make glass.

Answer 7

Honestly, I have no idea, but it was a nice sub-plot in the movie. Overall I gave that movie a 8.7/10.

Answer 8

yes it will