Fact check: Photo shows sand art, not lightning strike formation
The claim: Photo shows formation caused by lightning strike
Some social media users are sharing a photo they claim shows a fulgurite – a glass structure that can be created when lightning strikes sand or rock.
The photo shows an elaborate sand structure on a beach. The structure has about a dozen pointy spires and leans dramatically.
"When lightning hits a sandy beach, it creates otherworldly glass sculptures known as fulgurites or 'petrified lightning,'" reads the caption of a July 13 Facebook post featuring the photo.
The post was shared 30,000 times in a little more than a week.
But the claim is wrong. The photo does not show a fulgurite. It shows a sand sculpture made by an artist.
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USA TODAY reached out to the Facebook users who shared the post for comment.
Photo shows sand art, not fulgurite
The sculpture was created by Matthew Kaliner, who is also referred to as "Sandcastle Matt" in news stories about his creations.
In addition to being featured in articles by publications such as The Atlantic and Colossal, Kaliner's work can be seen on his Flickr account. The sculpture featured in the social media post is labeled "red beach #2."
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While fulgurites are real, photos of the formations reviewed by USA TODAY did not look like the sculpture in the social media post.
Our rating: False
Based on our research, we rate FALSE the claim that a photo shows a formation caused by a lightning strike. The photo shows an artist's sand sculpture.
Our fact-check sources:
National Park Service, March 27, 2017, Fulgurites: The Power of Lightning
Colossal, May 6, 2014, Peculiar Abstract Sandcastles by ‘Sandcastle Matt’
Matthew Kaliner via Flickr, accessed July 22, Sandcastles
Matthew Kaliner via Flickr, Jan. 26, 2007, Red beach #2
The Atlantic, Aug. 25, 2015, Radical Sandcastles
WBUR, July 27, 2015, How To Build Sandcastles The Sandcastle Matt Way
My Modern Met, Aug. 27, 2015, New and Otherworldly Forms of Sandcastles by Matthew Kaliner
University of Florida Lightning Research Group, accessed July 22, Fulgurites
Utah Geological Survey, accessed July 22, What are fulgurites and where can they be found?
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Photo shows sand art, not fulgurite
