When Lightning Creates Glass

If you haven’t already seen the movie “Sweet Home Alabama” you missed out on some beautiful glass sculptures. Sculptures are made naturally when lightning hits the sand making the sand hot enough; transforming glass in the natural shape of lightning forms. When lightning hits sand we will see a shape of fragile rock called fulgurite being created. The University of Florida’s Dr. Vladimir A. Rakov stated that, “there are two phenomena that are responsible for making natural glass on Earth: meteorites and lightning.” Glass that is made as a result of the collision of a meteorite with the Earth's surface is called meteoritic glass or tektite. Glass (a glassy object, to be exact) that is made as a result of a cloud-to-ground lightning discharge is called a fulgurite (from the Latin "fulgur" which means lightning). Fulgurites come in a great variety of forms and can be viewed as “nature's own works of art.” Although this is fascinating, I would not suggest you try it yourself using a rod, a bucket and pure composites such as silca, quarts and carbon, as it is very dangerous and not the easiest way to making glass or beautiful glass items for your home. The architectural glass used in your home comes in different shapes and sizes. If you are in need of a change maybe using glass for your stairs, balconies and decks could be the answer. Today, glass is the hottest trend to take hold of the industry. Glass is often used as railings on stairs, balconies, and decks for its tough components because it is easy-to-maintain and makes any space seem larger. At Castle Designer Glass, we can custom design and install any style of glass railing in your space. Combinations of texture, paint, and frosting can be used to create a design to match your unique application. If you’d like a custom quote; visit us at http://www.castledesignerglass.com/category/11-glass-railings.html