Lightening in a volcano

[Image source: LiveScience]

Yes, this is what Andrea Thompson, Senior Writer at LiveScience, reports about in an interesting article on their website. I learnt something new today, that lightening happens inside a volcano plume, didn't know that!

For the first time, scientists have been able to “see” and trace lightning inside a plume of ash spewing from an actively erupting volcano. Physicist Paul Krehbiel of New Mexico Tech., who observed and studied these lightening flashes, said, "The lightning activity was as strong or stronger than we have seen in large Midwestern thunderstorms."

A recent study in the journal Nature found that volcanic plumes spin like tornadic thunderstorms, a finding which helps to explain the lightning storms, as well as the waterspouts and dust devils produced by some volcanic plumes. For more, follow the link above.

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