Rome, 4 May 2024 – Un lightning hit the top of the Fuego volcano in Guatemala. The scene was filmed by tourists filming the eruption. In the images you can hear the explosion and see it illuminate the lava material that comes out of the mouth of the volcano.
Lightning strikes summit of Fuego volcano in Guatemala (X)
The spectacle of nature left the tourists who were visiting the area of the volcanic site speechless and who did not expect to see such a spectacle. Numerous videos are circulating on the web and have immediately become viral.
Fuego volcano is the most active in Central America and is located in the south of the country, not far from the Guatemalan capital.
What is volcanic lightning
They are extraordinary phenomena that can be admired during the most violent eruptions. They are discharges of electricity that are formed especially during explosive eruptions when it is generated an electric potential difference inside the volcanic cloud.
How they are generated
It is still a much debated topic: the mechanisms by which they are generated volcanic lightning is not yet fully understood to the scientific community, but it seems that they are formed within the eruptive columns by means of ash particles, water vapor and gases that are violently expelled forming areas with positive and negative charges. Electrification can also occur as a consequence of fracturing of volcanic rocks, in direct contact with water and magma.
Then once positive and negative charges separate, the next step is to distribute themselves at the ends of the volcanic cloud like the poles of a battery. When the electrical potential difference is too high to be kept stable, the cloud is torn apart by a very strong release of energy, namely lightning.
