Dramatic Volcanic Lightning

 

 

Image Source: Pixabay.com

This evening the Sakurajima volcano in  Japan had an average sized eruption. But nothing was average about what locals saw thereafter! Lightning could be seen coming from the lava and from behind the dark smoke.  A study in the journal Science indicated that electrical charges are generated when rock fragments, ash, and ice particles in a volcanic plume collide and produce static charges. These static charges create a lightning bolt.  A lightning bolt is nature’s way of balancing the distance between negatively charged and positively charged objects. Lightning is the electrical flow that results when this charge separation becomes too great for air to resist the flow of electricity.

To see video of the volcanic lightning from the  Sakurajima volcano in  Japan please visit this link: https://ca.news.yahoo.com/volcano-erupts-japan-triggering-dramatic-lightning-strikes-against-171455077–abc-news-topstories.html#