Ancient Fulgurites Used to Study Historic Climates opus 911
| 1 August 2026 1608 Hours | | Science, Climate, Environment, Geology, History, Technology |
As you know by now, I am fascinated by the subject of fulgurites.
Ancient fulgurites can be used as natural time capsules.
They preserve exact moments of historic climates and ecosystems,
Through 'freezing' ancient gases and organic matter during lightning strikes.
Known as 'petrified lightning,' the trapped gases
Stay chemically stable over even millions of years,
Thus paleoclimate data is protected from erosion and degradation.
Precision lasers are used to break open the fossil air bubbles
In controlled laboratory environments to sample the gases and soil compounds.
Carbon12 and carbon13 isotope ratios of the released
CO2 and CO can determine the dominant plant types in the soil.
Organic material in the soil is oxidized by lightning,
Converting it into CO2, CO,and NO, the quantities of which
Can be tested to reveal the C/N ratio of the ancient soil.
The mineral matrices can be analyzed for stable O2 isotopes,
Which allow for the tracking of O2 pressure fluctuations
in carbon-dioxide-rich ancient atmospheres.
Thermoluminescence is used, comparing the glass to the quartz grains,
To determine when the lightning strike occurred.
Heating the sample releases stored energy as light,
Revealing just how long ago the lightning actually struck.
Storm intensity can be measured by the
Dimensions, thickness, and mass-energy form of the tubes.
Thus it is possible to map the severity and frequency
Of ancient thunderstorms in a given region.
A modern analysis was carried out in the Libyan Desert,
Using all the techniques mentioned above,
A 15,000-year-old specimen was analyzed,
Revealing that the semi-arid Sahel climate zone
Once extended many miles farther north than it does today.
This provided absolute, unrefutable proof of a 'Green Sahara' period.