A terrible picture was seen in recent days at Acatenango volcano, from Guatemala, and it quickly went viral on social media. Lightning struck near the crater, creating a stunning visual effect.
Although the last eruption of Acatenango was in December 1972 and it was inactive, the particles it emits, as well as those from Volcano Fuego, which was linked and erupted in early May, cooperated in the visual phenomenon.
On Thursday, May 4, Guatemalan authorities evacuated more than 1,000 people and closed a highway as Volcano de Fuego, Central America’s most active, erupted, spewing thick clouds of ash over farms and villages not far from the capital.
The Guatemala Disaster Center reported that it was sending out “pyroclastic flows,” a superheated mixture of gas, ash, and rock fragments “that descended very quickly down the sides of the volcanic complex” and the ejected ash plume reached about 19,000 feet above sea level.
How is the visual effect created?
As explained by Dr. Paris Rivera, of the Guatemalan Meteorological Service (SMG) of Mariano Gálvez University, to the local media free press, It all starts when particles of volcanic matter in their movement generate constant currents, but it also depends on other weather conditions. Volcano lightning is a phenomenon observed during eruptions and coinciding with stormy days.
In addition to the friction of ash and piles expelled by the volcano, according to SMG, favorable conditions such as moisture, ice particles and clouds above the volcano impact. The combination of both components is what causes the ions to be released; Any electrically charged particles.
According to the National Institute of Seismology, Volcanology, Meteorology, and Hydrology (Insivumeh), electrical charge transfer and lightning occur due to the friction of clouds of material ejected from a volcano.
“These often occur during large eruptions,” the foundation said.
DB
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