Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #volcaniclightning
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If you're mesmerized by the steamy #Taal eruption plume and wondering why it's creating so much #VolcanicLightning, you’re not alone. Here’s a micro-crash course on the physics of volcanic thunderstorms for non-specialists. Thanks to @joshibob_ for the incredible footage! (1/14)
It starts with explosive fragmentation of hot rock under Lake Taal, which leads to vigorous magma-water interaction. This process vaporizes the lake water AND pulverizes the erupted rocks into even smaller particles known as volcanic ash. (2/14)
A turbulent column of volcanic ash, gas, and vaporized lake water rises up vertically—first by momentum, and then because the plume itself becomes buoyant (it’s warmer and less dense than the surrounding air). (3/14)
