Volcanic lightning crackles inside ash plumes during explosive eruptions
Explosive eruptions grind rock into ash and ice that collide and charge, sparking spectacular lightning inside and around the rising plume — a thunderstorm born of magma, not summer heat.
Particle collisions and fracturing separate charge the way graupel and ice do in ordinary storms. High-speed cameras capture branched bolts threading through gray ash columns.
Fire and electricity share a sky. Volcanic lightning warns that the plume is violently turbulent — and that ash can threaten aircraft even when the mountain looks far away.
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