"Photograph by Peter Vancoillie... A blast of white-hot lightning crackles over Iceland's
Eyjafjallajökull volcano on Sunday" 18 April 2010 [Source: National Geographic].
Photograph by Marco Fulle, Barcroft/Fame Pictures [Source: National Geographic]
Such phenomena aren't anything incredibly new, however (nor are they all that surprising when you think about how much material and energy are getting pumped up into the atmosphere). Still, these events can lead to new discoveries. For another cool example, here's a shot taken in 2008 of an eruption in Chile.
Chilean volcano with lightening ca. 2008.
Links to Other Images:
- Iceland Volcano Pictures: Lightening Adds Flash to Ash (National Geographic)
- The terrifying cauldron of lava and lightning that has brought chaos to our airports... and it's STILL going strong (Daily Mail, UK)
- Amazing Pictures: The lightning storm that engulfed an erupting volcano (Daily Mail, UK -- 2008 story on a Chilean volcano)
Why is there lightning in the volcano's ash cloud?
ReplyDeleteWhile it appears the details are still up for debate, it seems the particulate matter could pick up a charge and subsequent separation of particles could set up enough potential to cause (at least short) lightening bolts.
ReplyDeleteI'm speculating here, but I'd imagine it would also be at least in part caused by the same processes that produce lightening in large thunderheads. More of those details can be found in this article from Mother Nature Network.
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