Volcanic lightning

Volcanic lightning
Volcanic lightning during the January 2020 eruption of Taal Volcano
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Volcanic lightning is an electrical discharge caused by a volcanic eruption rather than from an ordinary thunderstorm. Volcanic lightning arises from colliding, fragmenting particles of volcanic ash (and sometimes ice),[1][2] which generate static electricity within the volcanic plume,[3] leading to the name dirty thunderstorm.[4][5] Moist convection currents and ice formation also drive the eruption plume dynamics[6][7] and can trigger volcanic lightning.[8][9] Unlike ordinary thunderstorms, volcanic lightning can also occur when there are no ice crystals in the ash cloud.[10][11]

The earliest recorded observations of volcanic lightning[12] are from Pliny the Younger, describing the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, "There was a most intense darkness rendered more appalling by the fitful gleam of torches at intervals obscured by the transient blaze of lightning."[13] The first studies of volcanic lightning were also conducted at Mount Vesuvius by Luigi Palmieri[14] who observed the eruptions of 1858, 1861, 1868, and 1872 from the Vesuvius Observatory. These eruptions often included lightning activity.[13]

Instances have been reported above Alaska's Mount Augustine volcano,[15] Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull and Grimsvotn,[16] Mount Etna in Sicily, Italy,[17] Taal Volcano in the Philippines,[18] Mount Ruang in Indonesia,[19] and Volcán de Fuego in Guatemala.[20]

  1. ^ Fritz, Angela (2016). "Scientists think they've solved the mystery of how volcanic lightning forms". The Washington Post.
  2. ^ Mulvaney, Kieran (2016). "Mystery of Volcano Lightning Explained". Seeker.
  3. ^ Lipuma, Lauren (2016). "New studies uncover mysterious processes that generate volcanic lightning". American Geophysical Union GeoSpace Blog.
  4. ^ Hoblitt, Richard P. (2000). "Was the 18 May 1980 lateral blast at Mt St Helens the product of two explosions?". Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences. 358 (1770): 1639–1661. Bibcode:2000RSPTA.358.1639H. doi:10.1098/rsta.2000.0608. S2CID 92549298.
  5. ^ Bennett, A J; Odams, P; Edwards, D; Arason, Þ (2010-10-01). "Monitoring of lightning from the April–May 2010 Eyjafjallajökull volcanic eruption using a very low frequency lightning location network". Environmental Research Letters. 5 (4): 044013. Bibcode:2010ERL.....5d4013B. doi:10.1088/1748-9326/5/4/044013. ISSN 1748-9326.
  6. ^ Woods, Andrew W. (1993). "Moist convection and the injection of volcanic ash into the atmosphere". Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth. 98 (B10): 17627–17636. Bibcode:1993JGR....9817627W. doi:10.1029/93JB00718.
  7. ^ Van Eaton, Alexa R.; Mastin, Larry G.; Herzog, Michael; Schwaiger, Hans F.; Schneider, David J.; Wallace, Kristi L.; Clarke, Amanda B. (2015-08-03). "Hail formation triggers rapid ash aggregation in volcanic plumes". Nature Communications. 6 (1): 7860. Bibcode:2015NatCo...6.7860V. doi:10.1038/ncomms8860. ISSN 2041-1723. PMC 4532834. PMID 26235052.
  8. ^ Williams, Earl R.; McNutt, Stephen R. (2005). "Total water contents in volcanic eruption clouds and implications for electrification and lightning" (PDF). Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Volcanic Ash and Aviation Safety: 67–71.
  9. ^ Van Eaton, Alexa R.; Amigo, Álvaro; Bertin, Daniel; Mastin, Larry G.; Giacosa, Raúl E.; González, Jerónimo; Valderrama, Oscar; Fontijn, Karen; Behnke, Sonja A. (2016-04-12). "Volcanic lightning and plume behavior reveal evolving hazards during the April 2015 eruption of Calbuco volcano, Chile". Geophysical Research Letters. 43 (7): 3563–3571. Bibcode:2016GeoRL..43.3563V. doi:10.1002/2016gl068076. ISSN 0094-8276.
  10. ^ Cimarelli, C.; Alatorre-Ibargüengoitia, M.A.; Kueppers, U.; Scheu, B.; Dingwell, D.B. (2014). "Experimental generation of volcanic lightning". Geology. 42 (1): 79–82. Bibcode:2014Geo....42...79C. doi:10.1130/g34802.1. ISSN 1943-2682.
  11. ^ Cimarelli, C.; Alatorre-Ibargüengoitia, M. A.; Aizawa, K.; Yokoo, A.; Díaz-Marina, A.; Iguchi, M.; Dingwell, D. B. (2016-05-06). "Multiparametric observation of volcanic lightning: Sakurajima Volcano, Japan". Geophysical Research Letters. 43 (9): 4221–4228. Bibcode:2016GeoRL..43.4221C. doi:10.1002/2015gl067445. ISSN 0094-8276.
  12. ^ Mather, T. A.; Harrison, R. G. (July 2006). "Electrification of volcanic plumes". Surveys in Geophysics. 27 (4): 387–432. Bibcode:2006SGeo...27..387M. doi:10.1007/s10712-006-9007-2. ISSN 0169-3298. S2CID 53140261.
  13. ^ a b "History of Volcanic Lightning | Volcano World | Oregon State University". volcano.oregonstate.edu. 27 May 2010. Retrieved 2018-05-09.
  14. ^ Perrone, Alessio. "A Defiant Volcanologist Survived 5 Eruptions while Living on Mount Vesuvius". Scientific American. Springer Nature. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  15. ^ Handwerk, Brian (February 22, 2007). "Volcanic Lightning Sparked by "Dirty Thunderstorms"". National Geographic. Archived from the original on February 25, 2007. Retrieved 2009-01-09.
  16. ^ "Iceland Volcano Pictures: Lightning Adds Flash to Ash". National Geographic. April 19, 2010. Archived from the original on April 21, 2010. Retrieved 2010-04-20.
  17. ^ Sample, Ian (3 December 2015). "Sky lights up over Sicily as Mount Etna's Voragine crater erupts". The Guardian. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
  18. ^ Borbon, Christian. "Philippines: Volcano near Manila spews giant ash column". Gulf News. Retrieved 12 January 2020.
  19. ^ "Gunung Ruang Kembali Erupsi, Warga Diimbau Mengungsi". CNN Indonesia. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  20. ^ Kuta, Sarah (15 May 2024). "Lightning Dazzles Onlookers Watching the Eruption of Volcán de Fuego in Guatemala". Smithsonian Magazine.