Photo Shows Lightning Flash in Volcano in Mexico

A volcano just erupted in Mexico and drew lightning.

The Colima Volcano is seen early Friday, June 10, 2005, at the Carrizalillo Lagoon Park 665km (412 miles) west of Mexico City.

For locals, it’s a frightening experience, but for everyone else: Amazing. The Colima volcano eruption in Mexico produced some spectacular photos over the weekend, completely with lightning inside the ash cloud.

Holy wow! Lightning flash spotted in the ash cloud of the Colima Volcano which is 301 miles west of Mexico City pic.twitter.com/oJegOH6uZF

— Astro Sid (@ssaig) April 3, 2015

The volcano is one of the most active in Mexico, and it is known as the “fire volcano” or “Volcan de Fuego” in Spanish.

So, how does lightning strike an ash cloud?

It takes place “through friction, [as] particles of the ash can charge each other by rubbing against each other during the eruption. When the energy is discharged, it can create lightning bolts,” says Phys.org.

Photographer César Cantú took the photo of lightning hitting the volcano on Sunday.

In this late Monday, Oct. 13, 2014 photo made with a slow shutter speed, lightning caused by volcanic materials containing electric charges that collide into each other is seen as Mount Sinabung erupts in Jeraya, North Sumatra, Indonesia. Mount Sinabung, among about 130 active volcanoes in Indonesia, has sporadically erupted since 2010 after being dormant for 400 years. AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara