Topline
The Mount Ruang volcano in Indonesia’s Ruang Island erupted multiple times on Wednesday, spewing ash, smoke and lava coupled with intense and rapid volcanic lightning while prompting thousands to evacuate over concerns the blasts might trigger a tsunami.
In this photo released by Sitaro Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD Sitaro), hot molten lava ... [+]
Key Facts
The Ruang volcano in the province of North Sulawesi erupted at least five times since Tuesday night, according to the Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster MItigation, the Indonesian agency that tracks volcanic activity.
The Center on Wednesday raised its alert to its highest level, level 4, as the Sitaro Regency Regional Disaster Management Agency urged anyone living within a 6 km radius of the volcano to evacuate over concern that part of the volcano could fall into the sea and trigger tsunami conditions.
Videos shared by the agency Wednesday showed an ominous wall of fire and smoke coupled with dozens of successive lightning strikes, and an explosive ball of lava and fire.
Nearly 4,000 lightning strikes were recorded near the volcano during the eruption between 1 p.m. Tuesday and around 9 a.m. Wednesday, according to Chris Vagasky, a meteorologist and specialist with an organization called the Lightning Safety Council.
What Causes Volcanic Lightning?
The dazzling display of lightning that can accompany major volcanic eruptions is only somewhat understood by researchers. Lightning in typical thunderstorms is the result of negative and positive charges within the cloud or between the cloud and the ground, which discharge electricity when the air that typically insulates them breaks down, according to NOAA. The electrified particles at play are generally ice crystals in the clouds, which raised mystery around volcanic lightning, which appears to be conducted within the volcanic ash plumes and not in traditional clouds. Two studies in 2016 appeared to find multiple processes that produce lightning, according to the Washington Post. One found that higher ash plumes from larger eruptions can reach high enough in the atmosphere to interact with ice crystals, while another found that friction between ash and debris could create a build-up of electrical charge.
Big Number
400. That’s how many eruptions, across 152 volcanoes, where volcanic lightning has been observed, according to a 2015 entry in the Academic Press’ Encyclopedia of Volcanoes.
Further Reading
