On April 22, 2015, Chile’s Calbuco volcano suddenly erupted after more than four decades of dormancy.The eruption sent a towering column of ash and gas more than 15 kilometres into the atmosphere. During its explosive phases, an extraordinary phenomenon appeared inside the plume: volcanic lightning.Sometimes nicknamed a “dirty thunderstorm,” volcanic lightning forms when particles inside an eruption plume become electrically charged.As ash, rock fragments and ice particles collide, electrical charges separate within the plume. When the charge difference becomes large enough, it triggers powerful electrical discharges producing lightning inside and around the volcanic cloud.The Calbuco eruption became particularly famous for spectacular photographs of these lightning-filled ash clouds, captured by Chilean photographer Francisco Negroni.Science and facts💡
On April 22, 2015, Chile’s Calbuco volcano suddenly erupted after more than four decades of dormancy.The eruption sent a towering column of ash and gas more than 15 kilometres into the atmosphere. During its explosive phases, an extraordinary phenomenon appeared inside the plume: volcanic lightning.Sometimes nicknamed a “dirty thunderstorm,” volcanic lightning forms when particles inside an eruption plume become electrically charged.As ash, rock fragments and ice particles collide, electrical charges separate within the plume. When the charge difference becomes large enough, it triggers powerful electrical discharges producing lightning inside and around the volcanic cloud.The Calbuco eruption became particularly famous for spectacular photographs of these lightning-filled ash clouds, captured by Chilean photographer Francisco Negroni.Science and facts💡
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