Strange wood features

We stopped along the Needles Highway and saw this tree with some wierd stuff sort of inside of it. I guess it is a ponderosa pine that has been dead for some time.

 

I gotta wonder if that tree was struck by lightning and just never caught fire.

 

I have a sugar maple on my wood lot that took a direct strike, and is severely crippled, but still alive. I saw the lightning hit it 30 or so years ago. Twisted and ugly, but still alive.

 

I should add that the trunk left standing was less than 10 feet high.

 

It looks like the left side of the split dropped down and pulled the wood fibers over horizontally. Shame it is spray painted. That would make an interesting wood working project. Sure is an eye-catcher.

 

Im gonna guess thats marked for some reason.

 

That's exactly what it looks like to me.
Some trees deal with lightning better than others.

 

Its like a grounding rod, the expansion would be too small for us to see but this one paints a better picture of organic material withstanding it.