The word—based on the Latin world for thunderbolt—refers to a hollow glass tube formed when lightning strikes soil, silica, sand or even rock.

Yes, lightning can turn sand into glass. It’s not a myth—when lightning strikes the ground in the right conditions, it can fuse sand into glass.

(WGHP) – “Can lightning turn sand at the beach into glass?” Dianne from Winston-Salem asks. “If so, how and in what conditions?” Yes, it is possible for lightning to turn sand into glass.