User:Fulguritics/sandbox

I removed this section from the article "fulgurite."

Shapes
[Fulgurites may be classified in a number of different ways, but one of the more obvious is by their shape. Though subtle variations make fulgurites almost as unique as snowflakes, they can be classified into a few general categories.

Tubes: This is the most common fulgurite shape and is what people normally think of when they think of fulgurites. Tubes may be branched or unbranched and are generally rather rough on the outside with bumps and ridges. Sometimes openings are found in the middle and one end may have collapsed, leaving only one open end.

Blades: A blade is a tube which collapsed, leaving a relatively flat formation. Blades are not completely flat, however, and usually have a crumpled appearance.

Rods: Rods are similar to tubes, but, as the name suggests, they are solid rather than hollow. This can occur when a strike has partially dissipated and lacks enough energy to blast out the inside or a tube may have become filled with sand or other material which subsequently hardened. Like tubes, rods may be branched or unbranched. Some rods resemble fossilized roots.

Spheres: If material is sufficiently heated it may melt into a roughly spherical shape.

Irregular: This category is for shapes that defy classification. These can be formed when other shapes fold in on themselves before fully hardening. It is also possible that an already formed fulgurite was hit and partially melted by a subsequent strike. It is even possible that two or more fulgurites were partially melted and fused together by a subsequent strike.]