Spectacular Volcanic Lightning Storms
After a 9,000 year slumber, Chile’s Chaitén volcano has awoken in full fury. On May 2nd, the mountain began spewing lava, ash—and lightning.
In what’s known as a “dirty thunderstorm”, rock fragments, ash, and ice particles in the plume collide to produce static charges— just as ice particles collide to create a charge in typical thunderstorms.
Over 4,000 people have been evacuated from the region. The ash cloud has reached a height of over 19 km, and if the eruption continues it may likely have a major effect on global climate in the coming months.
