Issue 84 - August 2008 - Page 7

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Lightning Storm Meets Volcanic Eruption Photos

Summary:
Email forward claims that attached photographs show a lightning storm meeting a large volcanic eruption in Chile (Full commentary below).

Status:
True

Example:(Submitted, June 2008)

Subject: Fw: Volcanic Eruption Meets Lightning Storm

Two of nature's most spectacular forces produced an incredible brew in the skies of Chile as a volcanic eruption met a lightning storm.

Images attributed to Carlos Gutierrez/UPI

Commentary:
These spectacular photographs depicting lightning intermingled with the towering plume from an erupting volcano are currently circulating via email, blogs and forums. The almost otherworldly sight of these two powerful forces of nature clashing with each other has caused some commentators to suggest that the images have been manipulated. However, the photographs are in fact genuine.

The photographs depict an eruption of the Chaiten volcano in Chile in May 2008. The volcano, which has been dormant for thousands of years, is located around 1300km south of Santiago. An article about the eruption published in The Australian on May 8th 2008 describes the event:

Tonnes of dust and ash from the eruption of the Chaiten volcano poured into the night sky just as an electric storm was passing overhead.

The resulting collision created an extraordinary sight as lightning flickered around the dust cloud in the fiery, orange glow of the volcano.

Several thousand residents were evacuated from the area and the plume from the eruption has left large areas of land covered in a layer of ash.

Ash Plume from Chaiten Volcano

Image courtesy of MODIS Rapid Response Project at NASA/GSFC

References:
Earth and sky in battle above volcano
5,000 evacuated as volcano blast meets storm in the Chilean sky
Amazing pictures: The lightning storm that engulfed an erupting volcano

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