by bystander » Mon Jun 06, 2011 11:17 pm
Chile Volcano Plume Explodes With Lightning
National Geographic | Daily News Pictures | 2011 June 06
Volcanic Lightning
In a scene no human could have witnessed, an apocalyptic agglommeration of lightning bolts illuminates an ash cloud above Chile's Puyehue volcano (map) on Sunday.
The minutes-long exposure shows individual bolts as if they'd all occurred at the same moment and, due to the Earth's rotation, renders stars (left) as streaks. Lightning to the right of the ash cloud appears to have illuminated nearby clouds—hence the apparent absence of stars on that side of the picture.
After an ominous series of earthquakes Saturday morning, the volcano erupted that afternoon, convincing authorities to evacuate some 3,500 area residents. Eruptions over the course of the weekend resulted in heavy ashfalls, including in Argentine towns 60 miles (a hundred kilometers) away.
Photograph by Francisco Negroni, Agenci Uno/European Pressphoto Agency
—With reporting by Christine Dell'Amore
Apocalyptic Plume
A
Lord of the Rings-worthy plume rises roughly six miles (ten kilometers) above Chile's Puyehue volcano (map) Sunday. As of Monday, activity at the volcano appeared to have tapered off, according to Telam, Argentina's government news agency.
Even so, danger remains. In a statement on website of the regional government of Los Rios, Chile, for example, Governor Juan Andrés Varas warned that ash and potentially poisonous volcanic gases are slowly rolling toward a nearby valley. "Fortunately, the valley doesn't drop abruptly, so we have time to evacuate," Varas was quoted as saying by CNN.
Photograph by Ivan Alvarado, Reuters
Snap, Crackle, Pop
Lightning crackles around a miles-high ash plume above Chile's Puyehue volcano (
map) on Saturday.
A volcanic lightning storm isn't "unlike a regular old thunderstorm," Martin Uman, a lightning expert at the University of Florida in Gainesville, told National Geographic News in 2010.
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.
Photograph by Ivan Alvarado, Reuters
Back to Life
Dormant for decades, Puyehue volcano (
map) crackles back to life Saturday.
All types of lightning, particularly volcanic lightning, are still largely mysteries to scientists, the University of Florida's Uman told National Geographic News in 2010.
Since people can't easily get inside thunder and lightning storms, no one knows exactly how they form, he added.
Photograph by Ivan Alvarado, Reuters
[url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/06/pictures/110606-chile-volcano-lightning-science-ash-eruption/][size=120][b][i]Chile Volcano Plume Explodes With Lightning[/i][/b][/size][/url]
National Geographic | Daily News Pictures | 2011 June 06
[quote][float=left][img3=""]http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-live/photos/000/362/cache/lightning-volcano-puyehue-volcanic-eruption-chile-long-exposure_36299_600x450.jpg[/img3][/float][size=120][b]Volcanic Lightning[/b][/size]
In a scene no human could have witnessed, an apocalyptic agglommeration of lightning bolts illuminates an ash cloud above Chile's Puyehue volcano (map) on Sunday.
The minutes-long exposure shows individual bolts as if they'd all occurred at the same moment and, due to the Earth's rotation, renders stars (left) as streaks. Lightning to the right of the ash cloud appears to have illuminated nearby clouds—hence the apparent absence of stars on that side of the picture.
After an ominous series of earthquakes Saturday morning, the volcano erupted that afternoon, convincing authorities to evacuate some 3,500 area residents. Eruptions over the course of the weekend resulted in heavy ashfalls, including in Argentine towns 60 miles (a hundred kilometers) away.
[b][i]Photograph by Francisco Negroni, Agenci Uno/European Pressphoto Agency
—With reporting by Christine Dell'Amore[/i][/b][/quote][quote][float=left][img3=""]http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-live/photos/000/362/overrides/lightning-volcano-puyehue-volcanic-eruption-chile-ash-cloud-sunset_36295_600x450.jpg[/img3][/float][size=120][b]Apocalyptic Plume[/b][/size]
A [i]Lord of the Rings[/i]-worthy plume rises roughly six miles (ten kilometers) above Chile's Puyehue volcano (map) Sunday. As of Monday, activity at the volcano appeared to have tapered off, according to Telam, Argentina's government news agency.
Even so, danger remains. In a statement on website of the regional government of Los Rios, Chile, for example, Governor Juan Andrés Varas warned that ash and potentially poisonous volcanic gases are slowly rolling toward a nearby valley. "Fortunately, the valley doesn't drop abruptly, so we have time to evacuate," Varas was quoted as saying by CNN.
[b][i]Photograph by Ivan Alvarado, Reuters[/i][/b][/quote][quote][float=left][img3=""]http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-live/photos/000/362/overrides/lightning-volcano-puyehue-volcanic-eruption-chile-blue-sky_36297_600x450.jpg[/img3][/float][size=120][b]Snap, Crackle, Pop[/b][/size]
Lightning crackles around a miles-high ash plume above Chile's Puyehue volcano ([url=http://maps.nationalgeographic.com/map-machine#s=h&c=-40.57545707990509,%20-72.12133817374705&z=11]map[/url]) on Saturday.
A volcanic lightning storm isn't "unlike a regular old thunderstorm," Martin Uman, a lightning expert at the University of Florida in Gainesville, told National Geographic News in 2010.
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.
[b][i]Photograph by Ivan Alvarado, Reuters[/i][/b][/quote][quote][float=left][img3=""]http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-live/photos/000/362/overrides/lightning-volcano-puyehue-volcanic-eruption-chile-lava-glow_36298_600x450.jpg[/img3][/float][size=120][b]Back to Life[/b][/size]
Dormant for decades, Puyehue volcano ([url=http://maps.nationalgeographic.com/map-machine#s=h&c=-40.57545707990509,%20-72.12133817374705&z=11]map[/url]) crackles back to life Saturday.
All types of lightning, particularly volcanic lightning, are still largely mysteries to scientists, the University of Florida's Uman told National Geographic News in 2010.
Since people can't easily get inside thunder and lightning storms, no one knows exactly how they form, he added.
[b][i]Photograph by Ivan Alvarado, Reuters[/i][/b][/quote]