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April 18, 2010 ..
Photo: By Sigurdr H. Stefnisson - National Geographic - SOURCE
Volcano Lightning, Iceland.
Lightning cracks during an eruption of Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull
volcano in 2010. Intense lightning storms mixed with ash clouds to
electrify the night sky over Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull volcano on
Sunday.
Photograph by Peter Vancoillie, Your Shot - SOURCE
White-Hot Show at Iceland Volcano. A blast of
white-hot lightning crackles over Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull volcano on
Sunday. Clouds of volcanic ash from Eyjafjallajökull have snarled
European air traffic for nearly a week. National
Geographic Your Shot submitter Peter Vancoillie took the photograph
from about 18 miles (30 kilometers) away from the volcanic lightning
storm, which not "unlike a regular old thunderstorm," said Martin Uman, a
lightning expert at the University of Florida in Gainesville.
The same ingredients are present: water droplets, ice, and possibly
hail—all interacting with each other and with particles, in this case
ash from the eruptions, to cause electrical charging, Uman said. (See
pictures of the Iceland volcano's ash plume.)
The volcanic-lightning pictures are "really very sensational," Uman
said. "Somebody ought to be up there with an HD movie camera—it's ready
for the IMAX theater." - Credit: Christine Dell'Amore
Photograph by Marco Fulle, Barcroft/Fame Pictures - SOURCE
Purple Bolts at Iceland Volcano. Italian photographer and
scientist Marco Fulle flew at sunset on Sunday over Iceland's erupting
Eyjafjallajökull volcano to capture this picture of purple lightning
bolts streaking through the sky.Much of the lightning generated by the
Iceland volcano is better termed long sparks, said the University of
Florida's Uman. Those may include a new type of lightning recently found
over an Alaska volcano. It's unknown how such sparks form, though one
possibility is that electrically charged silica—an ingredient of
magma—interacts with the atmosphere when it bursts out of Earth's crust,
Steve McNutt of the Alaska Volcano Observatory said in
February.(Related: "Iceland Volcano Pictures: Aerial Views of the Inferno.")
Photograph by Rakel Orvar Atli Thorge, NordicPhotos/Getty Images - SOURCE
Fire, Ice, and Lightning. Fiery lava mixes with blue ash and
golden lightning over the erupting Eyjafjallajökull volcano in an April
18, 2010, picture. The Iceland volcano's lightning is probably creating
distinct symphony of sounds, said the University of Florida's Uman. For
instance, small sparks of about 30 feet (9 meters) to about 300 yards
(91 meters) make sounds like rifle shots, while the miles-long bolts
produce the deep, familiar rumbling we associate with thunderstorms, he
explained.(Also see Pictures: Iceland Volcano Erupts, Under Ice This Time.)
Photograph by Marco Fulle, Barcroft/Fame Pictures - SOURCE
Stormy
Mix at Iceland Volcano. Pictured Sunday, lightning at the
Eyjafjallajökull volcano branches off in many directions—an interesting
phenomenon, according to the University of Florida's Uman. Every bolt
has a direction that it travels, Uman explained: A spark begins in
electrically charged spot and then travels either up, down, or sideways
until it reaches an oppositely charged area. (Related: "Iceland Volcano Pictures: Lava Explodes From Ice Cap.")
Photograph by Oli Haukur Myrdal, Your Shot - SOURCE
Lava and Lightning in Iceland.
Spurts of lava mix with lightning over Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull
volcano on Sunday. National Geographic Your Shot submitter Oli Haukur
Myrdal captured the electrifying light show. All types of lightning,
particularly volcanic lightning, are still largely mysteries to
scientists, University of Florida's Uman said. Since people can't easily
get inside thunder and lightning storms, no one knows exactly how they
form, he said. However, scientists can install instruments near
volcanoes' vents to measure certain data, such as the
lightning-detection devices that scientists are installing right now in
Iceland, he said. (Related: "Iceland Volcano Pictures: Eruption Sparks Tourist Boom.")
Photograph by Olivier Vandeginste, Your Shot - SOURCE
Flash
and Ash at Volcano. Lightning pierces the erupting volcano's ash cloud
in a National Geographic Your Shot photograph taken by Olivier
Vandeginste on Sunday. Inhaling the tiny pieces of glassy sand
and dust in the cloud can cause irritation of the eyes, nose, and
throat, say experts who advise Europeans to stay indoors when the ash
begins to fall. Finer particles can also penetrate deep into the lungs and cause breathing problems, particularly among those with respiratory issues like asthma or emphysema. (See "Iceland Volcano Ash Plume Prompts Health Worries.")
But if people could witness the volcanic lightning safely, it would be
an incredible experience, Uman said. "Everyone would want to see that,"
Uman said. "It's like going to see aurora borealis near the North
Pole—it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience." (Also see "Photos: Chile Volcano Erupts With Ash and Lightning.")
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