As if hot magma and enormous continent-disrupting plumes of ash weren’t enough, the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland has unleashed apocalyptic-looking volcanic lightning. The soul-stirring photos are available here: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/ynews_ts1708
What causes volcanic lightning remains a mystery to scientists.
“Why lightning occurs even in common thunderstorms remains a topic of research, and the cause of volcanic lightning is even less clear,” according to NASA, which has documented past cases of the phenomenon, including the eruption of Sakurajima volcano in southern Japan this February.
A common theory, as articulated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, explains that volcanic lightning is “formed as a result of electrical charges in the volcano plume due to the negatively charged falling ash particles and positively charged condensed volcanic gas associated with the plume.”
What causes volcanic lightning remains a mystery to scientists.
“Why lightning occurs even in common thunderstorms remains a topic of research, and the cause of volcanic lightning is even less clear,” according to NASA, which has documented past cases of the phenomenon, including the eruption of Sakurajima volcano in southern Japan this February.
A common theory, as articulated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, explains that volcanic lightning is “formed as a result of electrical charges in the volcano plume due to the negatively charged falling ash particles and positively charged condensed volcanic gas associated with the plume.”
