This specimen is a fulgarite, which has been created by the action of lightning. When lightning strikes the ground it vaporizes the sediment, soil, or sand in the immediate area, creating tubes with a smooth interior. Fulgarites can be several meters long, and sometimes are branched. This particular fulgarite from the U.S.A. is the partial tube of a sand fulgarite. Sand fulgarites are likely to be a silica rich mineraloid, lechatelierite