<p>There are <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fulgurite" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Fulgurites</a>.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Fulgurites are formed when lightning strikes the ground, fusing and vitrifying mineral grains.</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-06-17T03:07:28.160Z
2021-06-17T03:07:28.160Z
Keith McClary
<p>I know lightning strikes ionise the air, but I'm looking into geology, specifically amethyst, and found that it gets its colour partially from trivalent iron, iron(III), Fe 3+, whatever you want to call it. Normally this happens by radiation during the formation of the amethyst, but I'm curious if a silica crystal with trace amounts of normal iron could be struck by lightning to ionise it and remove the additional electrons, thereby finalising the creation of amethyst, or am I missing some details about lightning and/or amethyst?</p>

<meteorology><geology><lightning>
Can a lightning strike ionise the material it strikes?
garrondumont 
# Can a lightning strike ionise the material it strikes?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2021-06-15)

I know lightning strikes ionise the air, but I'm looking into geology, specifically amethyst, and found that it gets its colour partially from trivalent iron, iron(III), Fe 3+, whatever you want to call it. Normally this happens by radiation during the formation of the amethyst, but I'm curious if a silica crystal with trace amounts of normal iron could be struck by lightning to ionise it and remove the additional electrons, thereby finalising the creation of amethyst, or am I missing some details about lightning and/or amethyst?

**Tags:** meteorology, geology, lightning


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2021-06-17. Score: 2

There are [Fulgurites](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fulgurite).

> Fulgurites are formed when lightning strikes the ground, fusing and vitrifying mineral grains.


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