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Post by IronTom on Jun 5, 2011 9:56:38 GMT -5
So what can you all tell me about Fulgurites? For those who have no clue; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FulguriteLiving in the sand hills region of NC, I have lots and lots of sand. The neighborhood I stay in also seems pretty popular with lightning bolts. Over the past 10 years, there have been two trees struck within 10 feet of each other! Both of them were within 15 feet of the house and caused electrical damage each time. Not to mention another two or three in different places around the yard. Just my yard! I can think of at least two other trees having been struck in neighbor's yards as well. So, I've scratched around the latest pine tree that got hit. It didn't survive the strike. At the leaf litter at its base also caught fire, which was quite fun since it hadn't started raining yet... Anyway, I've dug down a foot or two and haven't seen any sign of fused glass. Could the root ball of the tree dispersed the strike without creating any Fulgurite? Or do I need to go deeper? As I said, there was visible scarring down the side of the tree and it did set the ground on fire. I'm not sure if bolt jumped to the house, or if the damage was simply due to proximity. The damage of the tree started very high up and followed all the way to the ground. On that side of the house is the satellite dish. The cable of the dish had damage, it exploded. There was a line of appliances all through the house that got damaged. It ended on the far end of the house where the power line to the well had exploded underground. It was a faulty power line to begin with, someone had cut it while digging and spliced it back together. There weren't any signs of fused glass around the power line for the well. Maybe the charge wasn't hot enough after splitting off to the house? It's making me crazy to think that there could be something just waiting to be found in my own yard, but really don't want to dig a 100' deep hole either. The pine tree that got struck was around 100' tall, so I can only imagine how deep the main root went... |
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Post by rockshine on Jun 6, 2011 10:04:00 GMT -5
what's at the bottom of the well?
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Post by IronTom on Jun 6, 2011 11:55:46 GMT -5
Water of course!
The story is that we're sitting on top of an underground lake, which may explain the amount of lightning strikes in the area. The well motor didn't receive any damage, so the charge dispersed from there and didn't run down the well.
The tap root on this tree is as big around as the trunk for the two foot or so that I dug down already. Some of the roots do look scorched. It happened a few months back, so the black marks may just be fungus....
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Post by robwhaley on Jun 6, 2011 15:59:26 GMT -5
Hi Tom.
Most of the fulgurites I've seen from the Carolinas are labeled as from beaches, such as Myrtle. They tend to be rather short, the ones I've seen being less than a foot. I would theorize that a strike at the beachfront would tend to be concentrated (thus fusing the sand) as opposed to inland strikes with the energy being dissipated by surrounding structures, trees, etc. I'm only theorizing, mind you, because what I don't know about fulgurites would probably fill an article or chapter.
Rob Whaley
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Post by IronTom on Jun 6, 2011 16:38:47 GMT -5
Those are my thoughts as well Rob. I was hoping that someone would chime in telling me otherwise  |
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Post by colorshapetexture on Jun 6, 2011 23:16:48 GMT -5
Dry sand that the fantastic specimens are created in are in a different area and ground structure. The Mega charges of + DC charge are looking for - ground and will travel the easiest route to get to ground. Thus the beautiful shapes as it fuses the SIO sands in route to ground.
O I forgot to mention sand, SIO is a great conductor. Thats why they use it in computer chips.. Add salt water to connect the grains of SIO and you have a great conductor for much higher amperage.
In the places that the spectacular specimens are made and gathered the ground is very dry and the charge has to travel along the SIO + conductive moisture to get to the closest ground. On its travel to get there it super heats the conductor ( SIO ) melting it.
Sand strikes at the beach are a whole different animal. The beach is sand. But! The sand is saturated. With ocean water. The salt makes the water which is holding the sand together much more conductive. " Ionized" So if it hits the beach I could imagine them short and wide as the sand with the salt water is very conductive and the strike did not have to follow a conductor to ground. But the ground is/was every where with the help of the sea water.
Water is not the best conductor. But add a little salt .......or pee in it and it becomes a great conductor to the point of problems. Hence pour water on steel it might rust right off. But pee on steel and I guarantee you rust.
Put a boat motor in a lake...( water) no problem........... but put that boat motor in the ocean and it will be eaten up by electrolysis.
DC is sooo much different than AC. That is why we can send power over long distance with small wires using AC.
With AC on a 10 gauge wire you can run lights a toaster, coffee pot and a couple of motors. But connect DC and try to start your car with the same gauge wire? Blows it in Two.
This is really an simple explanation of why Nikola Tesla is the father of the 20th century and that Thomas Edison was a money hungry jerk that almost kept us in the dark ages.
Thank Nikola Tesla for every modern electrical convenience we have. Because if Thomas Edison had his way we would still be running on DC electricity and in the dark ages.
The manufacturing revolution and modern living would not exist if Edison had his Money grubbing ways. Hell he fired Tesla because Tesla was so far ahead of Edison that he shamed Edison many times.
Tesla gave his invention to Westinghouse. Dropped all claim to his patent rights for AC electricity. He wanted it for the betterment of man. Edison was a little showman wanna be scientist that had enough electrical knowledge to be prosperous and dangerous. We were lucky Tesla bailed him out quite a few times.
O and you can make lightning and fulgrites with sand and a... you know it.... A Tesla coil....
Later Jim
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Post by rockshine on Jun 7, 2011 6:21:35 GMT -5
Jim, I basically agree with your AC vs DC analysis with two exceptions: generation and transportation. DC is the basis of almost all electronic circuits, as well as a lot of small motors in appliances. Yes, they plug into AC outlets, but inside is a small transformer, rectifiers and diodes which converts ac to dc, plus, I have yet to make an electromagnet using only bar iron, wire windings and ac current. Alternators are far superior to dc generators or piles (batteries) or electro-static generators (with the exception of the lightning bolts that ignited this discussion). DC is almost impossible to transport much beyond shouting distance, unless you load a batch of batteries in a truck and head down the road. But I have yet to find out how a solar array in Texas or Oklahoma can get it's power shipped to the northeast, unless it utilizes the solution to the conundrum of where to put the new arrival at Hotel Infinity when all the rooms are already filled with an infinite number of guests.
As for nearby utility, would you rather push your car, or your lawnmower with a continuous hands-on pressure, or propel it by giving it sixty kicks per second? But then, I would like to be able to send electricity through the atmosphere for seven miles and watch the poor ponies dance when the sparks fly from their hooves or shoes. Dave
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Post by IronTom on Jun 7, 2011 8:01:39 GMT -5
How large of Tesla coil are we talking about here? I've always wanted one but never had justification for something like that ;D
I'm still a novice about geology and such, but I assumed the sand in my area to be pretty similar to the coast. Minus the seawater. I'm not talking about a little bit of sand here. My driveway has just as much white sand as any beach! Seriously, the tailings from the well were nothing but white sand and the occasional small quartz pebble...
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Post by colorshapetexture on Jun 7, 2011 9:27:42 GMT -5
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Post by travelerga on Jul 15, 2011 19:50:03 GMT -5
ok, if you want to make fulgurites. Here is the easy and safe way to do it. it is simple and cheap. first find a beach thatis desereted and has an approaching electrical storm. Then fill a large mylar ballon with helium and attach a long thin copper wire, like that is a solenoid valve coil. Attach the other end to a ground rod that you have already driven into the beach sand, somewhere near the high tide mark. If the wind is not to strong and you have a good amount of strikes. Sit in your car and watch for the flash. the wire will vaporize and the ground rod will be misshapened. dig carefully and look for them, they may as small as a pencil or as large as your arm. Oh, bring extra jeans. if you are real close to the strike you just might pee. lol it happens fast and loud.
mike
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Post by JohnD on Jul 18, 2011 13:02:14 GMT -5
Jim, enjoyed your post and the mentioning of Nikola Tesla - not many people know about him. There is a book "Man Out Of Time" by Margaret Cheney about him that people may want to read.
Several years ago I was revisiting Niagara Falls and about fell over in surprise. Outside one of the buildings was a great statue of Tesla, first and last time I ever saw one.
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