Everyone is amazed by the incredible power and flash of lightning. However, did you know there is a type of this natural phenomenon that occurs during volcanic eruptions, known as volcanic lightning?
Lightning is associated with static electricity, which is the accumulation of electrical charges on a surface of an object that does not flow as an electric current. Friction is a common method to generate static electricity. When two materials are rubbed together, electrons accumulate on one material and decrease in the other. Certain materials attract electrons more easily than they lose them. A classic example is rubbing a balloon against your hair; electrons transfer from your hair to the balloon, creating a negative charge that makes the balloon attracts light objects, such as paper scraps.
Lightning occurs when electrical charges accumulate within clouds, due to ice particle collisions driven by high winds. This process releases and concentrates electrons in one area of the cloud, making it negatively charged, while the opposing part becomes positively charged. When the difference in charges increases, an electrical discharge occurs in the form of a lightning flash. This process is similar to volcanic eruptions, where particles in the eruption cloud collide at high speed, leading to the accumulation of electrical charges. When the difference between the charges becomes immense, the electrical discharge occurs in the form of volcanic lightning, which often appears in the early stages of an eruption.
Volcanic lightning occurs within ash-filled volcanic plume and is rare in eruptions with sparse ash. Plume height influences the volcanic lightning; if it exceeds 7 km, the tendency of its occurring increases, whereas in shorter ones, the tendency of its occurring decreases.
More powerful volcanic eruptions produce greater electrical charge and more intense lightning. In January 2022, approximately lightning strikes were recorded within six hours of the Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha'apai eruption. Volcanic lightning does not occur in all volcanoes; it is a common phenomenon, for example, in Chaitén, Chile, but rare in Hawaiian eruptions.
One of the benefits of volcanoes is that they release gases into the atmosphere; scientists have linked volcanic lightning to atmospheric nitrogen fixation. Nitrogen in the atmosphere is made up of two atoms bonded together to form a nitrogen molecule, and this bond is extremely strong. While certain living organisms have the ability to break this bond, it demands high energy, such as the energy of volcanic lightning.
Scientists studying volcanic deposits in various regions of central Turkey and southern Peru were surprised by high nitrate concentrations. They concluded that the oxygen within these nitrates—a compound of a nitrogen atom bonded to three oxygen atoms—originated from atmospheric ozone, rather than living organisms. On the basis of the concentration of nitrate in the samples, the team found that some 60 teragrams (about the mass of 10 Pyramids of Giza) of nitrogen is produced from a volcanic eruption. This discovery sheds light on the vital role of volcanoes in the nitrogen cycle on Earth. It demonstrates that volcanic eruptions are not merely geological phenomena releasing lava and ash, but also contribute to the release of enormous amounts of nitrogen into the atmosphere.
The role of volcanic lightning extends beyond nitrogen fixation; it can also contribute to triggering numerous chemical reactions, such as converting phosphorus in certain rocks into biologically usable compounds, such as phosphates. This process enables living organisms to utilize these compounds in constructing nucleic acids and forming cell membranes.
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In conclusion, volcanic lightning is not just a spectacular natural phenomenon; it also plays a role in converting certain elements into biologically usable forms. This may have contributed to the development of early life on Earth. Understanding these processes also emphasises the impact of volcanoes on climate and the cycle of vital elements.
References
https://eos.org/articles/volcanic-lightning-may-have-retooled-the-nitrogen-needed-for-life
https://hilo.hawaii.edu/csav/lightning.php
https://scitechdaily.com/volcanic-lightning-the-science-behind-this-spectacular-phenomenon/
Photo: Wikimedia commons
The atom is the smallest building block of matter, and contains positively charged subatomic particles known as "protons", negatively charged subatomic particles known as "electrons", and neutrally charged subatomic particles known as "neutrons".