Fulgurites -- fossilized lightning!

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Ever heard of them? It's what happens when lightning strikes sand, melting it into a hollow tube following the path of the electricity as it flows into the ground. Not all of it would be considered "fossilized," since it still occurs to this day, but I read today about one particular fulgurite that was discovered in the Sahara Desert in 2007. It was dated to have occurred approximately 15,000 years ago and, thanks to bubbles of gas that were trapped in the glass, scientists were able to deduce a bit about what the environment was like in the area back then. Though a desert today, this particular region used to be a more hospitable environment, home to grasses and shrubs. It's fascinating, the things we can learn from something like this! Here's a bit more information and a photo: http://blogs.nasa.gov/cm/blog/whatonearth/posts/post_1290194194320.html