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Scott P
08-28-2011, 07:13 PM
Yesterday on our climb we came across a tree that was freshly blown apart.

Another tree did not fall on it. It is very unlikey from the wind because it was in the middle of a dense forest and no other trees were affected. There were also dead trees around this one and if it was the wind, it would have taken out those ones first.
My thought is that it had to be lightning, but it was strange that there were no burn marks or any sign of burning.

I guess I'd have to go with lightning as being the only possible cause.

I'm pretty sure that it was the lightning, but any other ideas?

http://www.summitpost.org/images/medium/741637.JPG
JONBOYLEMON
08-28-2011, 07:46 PM
Yep, there was a tree like that up rock canyon that was fresh and had another area that was old. That would have woken you up!

Cool pic.
jman
08-28-2011, 08:44 PM
Scott that is consistent with lightning. When lightning hits a tree it travels in a spiral motion. I could post other similar looking trees we found out firefighting.
nelsonccc
08-28-2011, 09:10 PM
Big Foot. I believe....
Dr. Nebz
08-28-2011, 10:44 PM
Lightning is what I would say for the cause as well. If it were winter, trees explode all the time. I have seen pines and aspens exploded from the inside out because the sap freezes and expands. Crazy! There is a tree up by Lake Catherine that you can stand in the middle of the trunk because lightning cooked it from the inside out.
accadacca
08-29-2011, 08:01 AM
Cool! Thanks for sharing. I am going with Big Foot too. :haha:
Dr. Nebz
08-29-2011, 12:58 PM
Cool! Thanks for sharing. I am going with Big Foot too. :haha:

47521
Bootboy
08-30-2011, 06:43 AM
The spiral splitting is just happening along the grain of the tree, not that the lightning travels in a spiral but rather that trees in the northern hemisphere twist counterclockwise as they grow by following the sun as it moves from south to north during the most intensely active portion of the growing season. Generally, the shorter the growing season, the tighter the twist. Just a bit of trivia. Cheers.
live2ride
08-30-2011, 09:10 AM
pretty sure it was a tourist that the Jack links big foot tossed into a tree after teasing him with some Jerky. Thanks for the info, very cool and good things to learn, why no burn marks? Too fast of strike?