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Volcanic lightning is most often reported at night. Why do you think people are more likely to report seeing volcanic lightning at night than during the day?
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Answer
Volcanic lightning is most likely to appear at the beginning of an eruption, no matter what time of day that happens.
People are more likely to see volcanic lightning at night, however. Volcanic lightning may crackle during daytime eruptions, but is more likely to be lost in the sun’s glare.
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Lightning from thunderclouds can appear as bolts, sheets, or balls. What shapes do you think volcanic lightning can take?
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All of the above! During the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, Washington, for instance, the thick volcanic plume produced bolts of lightning connecting to the ground, sheet lightning connecting in the plume itself, and ball lightning bouncing near the volcano.
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A common nickname for the conditions that support volcanic lightning is a “dirty thunderstorm.” What makes this thunderstorm “dirty”?
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Answer
The “dirt” is the thick ash and rock of the volcanic plume.
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to go up.
building of space between charged particles. Sometimes called static electricity.
to press together in a smaller space.
tube or long, circular object.
having parts or molecules that are packed closely together.
to eject or get rid of.
to get rid of or throw out.
set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and flow of electric charge.
negatively charged subatomic particle.
to give off or send out.
to explode or suddenly eject material.
material that is able to flow and change shape.
force produced by rubbing one thing against another.
phenomenon where lava is forcefully but not violently ejected from a volcano through a fissure or vent.
small piece of material.
study of the physical processes of the universe, especially the interaction of matter and energy.
motionless electronic charge that builds up on a material.
movement of tectonic plates resulting in geologic activity such as volcanic eruptions and earthquakes.
strong, destructive force.
bolts of electricity produced in a volcanic plume. Also called a dirty thunderstorm.
cylinder-shaped structure of volcanic ash and gas emitted by an explosive volcanic eruption. Also called an eruption column.
an opening in the Earth's crust, through which lava, ash, and gases erupt, and also the cone built by eruptions.
