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Fossilized lightning bolts reveal when ancient storms struck
Dec. 16, 2020 , 12:10 PM
When a lightning bolt strikes a mountaintop, it can melt rocks in a flash, leaving a narrow glassy scar called a fulgurite. Now, researchers have shown that these fossilized thunderbolts are geological clocks that record the passage of time. The technique offers geologists a way to date thunderstorms from tens of thousands of years ago, and could give them a window into ancient climate patterns.
“It’s a very interesting and ingenious method,” says Rafael Navarro González, a chemist from the National Autonomous University of Mexico, University City, who was not involved in the study.