A strong explosive eruption took place at Shinmoedake volcano, Kirishima mountain range in Japan, late April 4, 2018. The eruption sent ash up to 6.7 km (22 000 feet) above sea level, the highest since a series of eruptions began on March 1, the Japanese…
We know that lightning in storm clouds forms when ice particles collide with each other and become electrified, but the process of how lightning forms in volcanic plumes is less clear. Now, two new studies are unraveling some of the mysteries involved. Understanding…
Volcanic lightning creates whistlers, very low frequency electromagnetic waves, that propagate into the magnetosphere. In the July 2015 issue of Physics World magazine, science writer Ian Randall investigates how researchers are trying to use studies on these whistlers
The electrical phenomenon we call lightning is not well understood. The most common interpretation involves the circulation of water vapor up and down through clouds in a process called convection. Water is heated by the Sun until it evaporates, rising into the air…
