Weather extremes don’t get more bad than this, folks.
As lava spewed and ash plumes rose more than a mile above Japan’s Sakurajima volcano, spectators in nearby villages watched in awe as a thunderstorm appeared to form directly above the fault.
A Reuters photographer with sharp timing was able to capture the spectacular event – at one of the world’s most active volcanoes – in an image that depicts nature’s most powerful phenomena in an epic collision.
Volcanic lightning – which can appear to strike or strike the volcano from its mouth – is not uncommon; However, scientists are not yet yet to fully understand why it happens, as erupting volcanoes can be difficult to study up close, Live Science said.
One theory is that static electricity, caused by the colliding particles of billowing clouds of smoke, generates the energy source – a process felt on a human scale through static shocks. Another rationale suggests that ice crystals bouncing through the stratosphere can also rub against the high-flying ash and water vapor, in a physical (as in physics) response similar to how detached thunderstorms occur.
According to local reports, there have been no reports of significant damage or injury to communities closest to Sakurajima. Earlier this year, the Philippines’ Taal volcano staged a similar light show – forcing some 300,000 residents to evacuate.