Fantastic Photo of a Volcanic Lightning Storm


Photo: Carlos Gutierrez/UPI/Landov


Not only is Chile's long dormant Chaitén volcano now erupting, but it is creating some amazing volcanic lightning storms. All I can think of when I see the picture is "wow", so here's a better description of the phenomenon from the article:

"The mingling of lightning and ash seen above may be a 'dirty thunderstorm.'

The little-understood storms may be sparked when rock fragments, ash, and ice particles in the plume collide to produce static charges—just as ice particles collide to create charge in regular thunderstorms. (More: Volcanic Lightning Sparked by 'Dirty Thunderstorms,' Study Finds" [February, 2, 2007].)"


Read the full story and see other photos at National Geographic.

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Thomas: Actually, the whole point of global warming — or rather, global climate change because the climate isn't warming as fast as Algore thought it was — is the co2 levels aren't what's causing the changes that have been noted, and that the climate has been its thing for just as long with no human intervention. We have as much ability to alter global climate trends as we have of stopping a volcano.

http://www.worldclimatereport.com
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