Lightning is so powerful it changes the atomic structure of rocks

It is one of the most elemental forces of nature, but it seems lightning bolts are so powerful they can reshape the atomic structure of rocks they strike.
Researchers have uncovered evidence that lightning can not only melt the surface of rock but also alter the crystals beneath in ways only thought to occur in the extreme pressures of meteor impacts.
Geologists found the lightning strikes turned the rock into a material known as shocked quartz, which only forms under extreme pressure.

They estimate it would require pressures of at least 10 gigapascals to form the structures – about 20 million times greater than a boxer's punch.
The findings could also give clues for how lightning strikes can damage buildings and monuments like statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which is regularly hit in thunderstorms.
Professor Reto Gieré, a geologist at the University of Pennsylvania who was one of the authors of the new study, said: 'I think the most exciting thing about this study is just to see what lightning can do.
'To see that lightning literally melts the surface of a rock and changes crystal structures, to me, is fascinating.'
Lightning is well known to cause rapid heating and melting on the surface of rocks and sediments. When it strikes sand, the grains can fuse together to form glass tubes known as fulgurites.
Similar structures can also form on rocks, leaving a distinctive black glaze on the surface of the rock.
However, Professor Gieré and his colleagues, whose work is published in the journal American Mineralogist, examined thin sections of rock fulgurite found near Les Pradals, France, that had been struck by lightning and found this outer black layer could also be porous, like a foam.
This was a result of the heat from the lightning bolt vaporising the rock's surface.
However, deeper inside the rock beneath this layer the researchers discovered an unusual set of quartz crystals arranged in straight parallel lines.
These shock lamella, or shocked quartz, is known to occur when a vast wave of pressure pushes through the rock.
It has only been found before at meteorite impact sites and the sites of underground nuclear bomb tests.
Professor Gieré said: 'It's like if someone pushes you, you rearrange your body to be comfortable. The mineral does the same thing.'
He said he hoped to do further work to study the physical and chemical effects of lightning bolts in more detail.
He said the scars left by lightning strikes on rocks could act as a warning sign to help climbers and hikers spot sites that are prone to being hit during storms.
He said the tell-tale shiny black glaze left by a strike could allow them to avoid those areas.
He said: 'Once it was pointed out to me, I started seeing it again and again.
'I've had some close calls with thunderstorms in the field, where I've had to throw down my metal instruments and run.'