What are some recent pictures of Chilean volcano eruptions?

[Evo]

This is from yesterday's volcano activity.

http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Volcano-erupts-Chile/ss/events/wl/060611chilevolcano

 

[Lacy33]

Trying to get a little orientation here. Is that looking at the volcano from the ground? Or is that taken as someone is swinging the camera running for their life?
Is that lightning in there? Is that taken at night or is it just that dark from the ash? Thanks. Wow!

 

[Mech_Engineer]

Amazing pictures!

 

[marcus]

...
Is that lightning in there?...

Wikipedia mentions the phenomenon of volcanic lightning
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lightning
and farther down the page discusses several types of lightning which can be *triggered* by volcanic eruptions. The exact mechanism (as with some other forms of lightning) is not fully understood.
It says Pliny the Elder witnessed an eruption of Vesuvius around 79 CE and described volcanic lightning in his report.

I can't be sure of that. The report of volcanic lightning may have come down to us from his nephew Pliny the Younger, who was also present at the eruption and who wrote about it in this letter:
"...The carts that we had ordered brought were moving in opposite directions, though the ground was perfectly flat, and they wouldn't stay in place even with their wheels blocked by stones. In addition, it seemed as though the sea was being sucked backwards, as if it were being pushed back by the shaking of the land. Certainly the shoreline moved outwards, and many sea creatures were left on dry sand. Behind us were frightening dark clouds, rent by lightning twisted and hurled, opening to reveal huge figures of flame. These were like lightning, but bigger. At that point the Spanish friend urged us strongly: "If your brother and uncle is alive, he wants you to be safe. If he has perished, he wanted you to survive him. So why are you reluctant to escape?" We responded that we would not look to our own safety as long as..."

 

[arildno]

This is from yesterday's volcano activity.

http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Volcano-erupts-Chile/ss/events/wl/060611chilevolcano

Seriously:
I'm strongly tempted to bring my non-existent kid into that natural spectacle he'll never forget!

 

[Evo]

Seriously:
I'm strongly tempted to bring my non-existent kid into that natural spectacle he'll never forget!

You're so bad.

 

[turbo]

Trying to get a little orientation here. Is that looking at the volcano from the ground? Or is that taken as someone is swinging the camera running for their life?
Is that lightning in there? Is that taken at night or is it just that dark from the ash? Thanks. Wow!

That is real lightning, generated by the ash cloud. The streaks that you see are stars imaged in that long exposure. Breaks in the star-trails are indicative of short-term obstructions. Picture taken during night from a ground location.

 

[arildno]

Wikipedia mentions the phenomenon of volcanic lightning
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lightning
and farther down the page discusses several types of lightning which can be *triggered* by volcanic eruptions. The exact mechanism (as with some other forms of lightning) is not fully understood.
It says Pliny the Elder witnessed an eruption of Vesuvius around 79 CE and described volcanic lightning in his report.

Hmm..Pliny the Elder DIED in the aftermath of that eruption, Pliny the Younger described it in his letters..

 

[marcus]

Hmm..Pliny the Elder DIED in the aftermath of that eruption, Pliny the Younger described it in his letters..

I just saw your post. I agree on both counts. I just quoted a bit from a letter by Pliny the Younger describing volcanic lightning.

It still seems possible that the Elder may also have documented the phenomenon before his death, since he initially observed it for some hours from a safe vantage point. I gather he died only after taking a small boat into shore to rescue some friends and getting stranded himself (though it seems that others of the party escaped .)

 

[rhody]

I just saw your post. I agree on both counts. I just quoted a bit from a letter by Pliny the Younger describing volcanic lightning.

It still seems possible that the Elder may also have documented the phenomenon before his death, since he initially observed it for some hours from a safe vantage point. I gather he died only after taking a small boat into shore to rescue some friends and getting stranded himself (though it seems that others of the party escaped .)

Am I seeing, err... reading a ghost, Marcus, you don't often visit us over here outside the cosmology, physics, BSM, realm, I take it volcanoes are another one of your interests.
Just sayin...

Rhody...

 

[arildno]

I just saw your post. I agree on both counts. I just quoted a bit from a letter by Pliny the Younger describing volcanic lightning.

It still seems possible that the Elder may also have documented the phenomenon before his death, since he initially observed it for some hours from a safe vantage point. I gather he died only after taking a small boat into shore to rescue some friends and getting stranded himself (though it seems that others of the party escaped .)

Yes, it is PLiny the Younger's personal observations, rather than relating the ones of his uncle (i.e, the Elder)
http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/tut/final/pliny.html

From what I remember, Pliny the Elder was actually perfectly safe, but his administative duties /I think he was an admiral at that time), forced him on an inspection tour on which he succumbed to toxic fumes.

I might be wrong on that, though..

 

[Dotini]

Here is a recent paper on volcanic lightning, with references to several others.
http://iopscience.iop.org/1748-9326/5/4/044013/pdf/1748-9326_5_4_044013.pdf

The authors seem to conclude that in this case charge separation occurs in the plume and at the vent. They seem to think that water content of the plume and local atmospheric conditions may affect the quantity of lightning strokes discharged in the plume.

Because volcano lightning falls into the general category of ground to atmosphere discharge, I'm tempted to characterize it as positive in charge.

Respectfully submitted,
Steve

 

[Borek]

And I felt happy after taking pictures of a thunderstorm in Warsaw :grumpy:

 

[turbo]

And I felt happy after taking pictures of a thunderstorm in Warsaw :grumpy:

Those pix were great, Borek, and I am pretty glad (personally) that I'm not next to a large volcanic eruption! I had good friends near Mt St Helens when that one blew up, and the life-expectancy of their compact car and van went WAY down. That really abrasive fine dust got into everything! I would have loved to have had a shade-tree mechanic business replacing air filters, re-packing bearings, greasing auto frame elements, etc. Dealerships were cleaning up, even at their overblown labor rates.

 

[Dotini]

http://blogs.publico.es/mesadeluz/4195/el-volcan-puyehue

Stunning series of professional grade photos showing showing mammoth electrical arcs, glows, corkscrews, "tadpoles", globules and various other lightning discharge effects in a wide variety of colors. Also seen are ash clouds resembling mammatus clouds. It's easy to see how the mythic imagination could find dragons and firebirds in these images.

Respectfully submitted,
Steve

 

[lisab]

http://blogs.publico.es/mesadeluz/4195/el-volcan-puyehue

Stunning series of professional grade photos showing showing mammoth electrical arcs, glows, corkscrews, "tadpoles", globules and various other lightning discharge effects in a wide variety of colors. Also seen are ash clouds resembling mammatus clouds. It's easy to see how the mythic imagination could find dragons and firebirds in these images.

Respectfully submitted,
Steve

Wow, those are really fantastic!

 

[BobG]

As turbo mentioned, the stars appearing as streaks indicates the picture is a long duration exposure, making it appear as if all of those lightning bolts occurred at the same time instead of being spread out over time.

If you could measure the length of the star streaks (as an angle), you could figure out the frequency of the lightning bolts (the Earth rotates 15 degrees per hour).

 

[Evo]

Here's a video of the lightning.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/43295891#43295891

 

[dlgoff]

Here's a video of the lightning.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/43295891#43295891

What I find amazing is how fast the ash cloud is moving. I'm assuming it's in real-time.

 

[davenn]

hey Don,

yes that's real time the stuff from ~ 30 secs to to the end of the clip

haven seen one eruption in New Zealand and videos of many others over the years. You would be astounded at the forces/pressure that is being released from some of these large events
"its really pumpin'" :)

Dave