When an underwater volcano off Tonga erupted last month, it was accompanied by one of the largest volcanic lightning events ever recorded.
Volcanic eruptions tend to evoke images of flowing molten lava and giant ash plumes, but when an underwater volcano off Tonga began a major eruption on Jan. 13, it was accompanied by one of the largest volcanic lightning events ever recorded.
The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcanic island lies about 65 km north of Nuku'alofa, the capital of Tonga. Scientists said the volcano – which last experienced a major eruption in 2014 – had been puffing away for about a month before a series of blasts began on Jan. 13. Rising magma, superheated to around 1,000 degrees Celsius , then met with 20 degree seawater on Jan. 15, causing an instantaneous and massive explosion.
The lightning strikes throughout the Hunga Tonga-Ha’apai explosion were a record for a volcanic eruption. On Jan. 13 a blast above the surface caused a major lightning event lasting through to the following day. Then on Jan. 15, a massive underwater eruption triggered the main event, with almost 400,000 strikes recorded in six hours that evening.
Not all of the lightning generated by an eruption actually strikes the ground. Lightning can also travel within an ash plume or between clouds. During the Tonga eruption, around 56% of the lightning struck the surface of the land or ocean. “The percentage of lightning that was classified as cloud-to-ground was higher than you would normally see in a typical thunderstorm, and higher than you typically see in volcanic eruptions, so that creates some interesting research questions,” said Vagasky.
In eruptions with tall plumes of about 7-12 kilometres , lightning happens via a mechanism called “ice charging” as the plume reaches heights where water can freeze. In a typical thunderstorm, it is the different sized ice particles, such as hail and ice crystals that collide, causing charge separation. The water for this ice formation comes from the atmosphere.
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