Fulgurite is natural glass formed when lightning strikes sand or rock and fuses it into a hollow, branching tube. It is thin-walled and fragile, a collector's piece more than a bead stone. We do not carry it.
Mineraloid (natural glass) · Lechatelierite (silica-rich types)
Fulgurite
Fulgurita
- Palette
- Brown Gray Yellow
- Mined in
- United States, United Kingdom, Niger
- Hardness
- Mohs 6.5 ?
- See-through
- translucent
- Known since
- 1915
- Named for
- Latin fulgur, lightning, plus the mineral ending -ite
- Also sold as
- fossilized lightning, petrified lightning, lightning glass, lechatelierite (silica variety)
- Intention
- Protection New Beginnings
- Looking for
- Grounding Change and decisions
- Water
- Keep it dry; wipe with a soft cloth
- Dye or finish
- Fulgurite is natural fused sand and is sold as it is. We found no record of dye, though cheap look-alikes exist.
Not in our pieces now
30,000 °C
The air around a lightning flash heats to about 30,000 degrees Celsius, hot enough to melt sand into glass tubes.
49 FEET
Fulgurites can run as deep as 15 meters (49 feet) below the surface, and some are over 20 centimeters wide.
AVICENNA
The scholars Avicenna and Al-Biruni mentioned fulgurite tubes in the 11th century, long before 1805, when lightning was identified as their cause.
What it is
Fulgurite is natural glass made when lightning strikes sand or rock and fuses it into a hollow, branching tube, usually brown, yellow-brown or gray with a rough outside. The walls are thin and the tubes are fragile, so it is kept as a specimen and rarely cut into beads.
What gives it its color
Fulgurite is sand fused by lightning, and its color follows what was struck: most run from white to black, iron can give a brownish green, and copper from downed power lines can make bright colors.
Where it comes from
Fulgurites form wherever lightning hits sand or soil; named finds include northern Florida, Michigan, Drigg in England and the Sahara in Niger.
In history
In 1805 the agriculturist Hentzen and the mineralogist Johann Voigt worked out that these glass tubes are made by lightning striking the ground. During the voyage of the Beagle, Charles Darwin recorded fulgurite tubes up to 30 feet long at Drigg in Cumberland, England. Tubes collected in southwest Egypt in 1999 were dated to about 15,000 years ago, when the Sahara there was still grassland.
What's said about it
In crystal lore, fulgurite is called fossilized lightning. People keep it for steadiness through sudden change, and as a link between earth and sky.
Persian scholars wrote about the tubes a thousand years ago without knowing what made them. Lightning was shown to be the cause only in the early 1800s.
People keep it as a specimen on a shelf or desk, handled gently.
How people wear or keep it: On a shelf, on a desk, in a padded dish, or in a travel box.
In crystal practice
In the crystal tradition, fulgurite is paired with the third eye and crown chakras, so practitioners rest it there during meditation or lie down with it in place for a few quiet minutes. Day to day, the same tradition suggests keeping it close: on a shelf, on a desk, in a padded dish. People reach for it when they want grounding, change and decisions, and many set an intention when they put it on. Most practitioners cleanse a new stone first (running water only if the stone can take it, otherwise smoke or moonlight) and set it aside now and then to rest.
These are beliefs people have held and still hold about the stone, reported as such. Nothing here is a promise or a medical claim. We sell stones as jewelry, not for these effects.
Associations
The chakra and star sign this stone is usually matched with. These are popular traditions, not facts about the stone.
ChakraThird Eye, Crown
ZodiacGemini, Virgo
ElementEarth, Air, Fire
Also calledfossilized lightning, petrified lightning, lightning glass
Care
- Handle it as a fragile specimen: the tubes are thin and snap or crush easily, so keep it in a padded box or dish.
- Do not wear it hard or knock it against other stones; display it instead.
- Keep it dry and wipe with a soft dry brush or cloth; a damp cloth only for the outside.
- Pick it up from the thick end and never squeeze the tube.
How to tell what you have
- Real fulgurite is sand fused by a lightning strike: a fragile glassy tube, usually white to black or brownish, with a rough sandy outside and a smooth, bubbly inside.
- Brightly colored pieces are usually man-made glass, for example from power lines or lab melts. Natural pieces are light and break easily.
Questions people ask at our table
What is fulgurite?
It is natural glass made when lightning hits sand or rock and melts it. The melt cools into a hollow, branching tube, which is why it is called fossilized lightning.
Is it a mineral or glass?
It is glass, without a crystal structure, so scientists call it a mineraloid. It is natural, not made in a factory.
Is it fragile?
Yes. The walls are thin and the tubes snap easily. It is a collector's piece to keep on a shelf more than a stone to wear.
Where is it found?
In sandy places struck by lightning, including Florida, Michigan, the north of England and the Sahara. Large pieces are hard to collect whole.
Do you carry fulgurite?
No, we do not carry it. Lava stone is the earth-and-fire stone in our pieces.
Not in our pieces right now
Stones we do carry that are close to it are listed under related stones.
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