**Volcano Lightning Electrifies Japan Eruption:(Awesome Pics!)

Shocking Display

Photograph by Minami-Nippon Shibun/Reuters

Lightning crackles over Japan on Friday as ash and lava erupt from Shinmoedake peak, one of the calderas of the Kirishima volcano complex.

Volcanic lightning is still a mystery, though it may be that electrically charged silica—part of magma—interacts with the atmosphere when it flies out of a volcano, Steve McNutt of the Alaska Volcano Observatory told National Geographic News in February 2010.

Electric Tentacle From Kirishima

Photograph from Takaharu/Reuters

A "tentacle" of lightning stretches over Japan in a long-exposure picture taken Thursday of the ash plume rising from the Kirishima volcano complex

Kirishima is a grouping of about 20 volcanic peaks on the southern Japanese island of Kyushu (map). The site featured in the 1967 James Bond film You Only Live Twice, serving as the secret base of the main villain, Ernst Stavro Blofeld.

Photo Opportunity
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/6691e42cd684.jpg[/atsimg]
Photograph from Kyodo/Reuters

A man in the town of Takaharu snaps a picture Thursday of ash rising from Japan's Shinmoedake peak, about 7 miles (11 kilometers) away. The town hosts an evacuation center for people who left villages closer to the peak that were littered with volcanic debris.

Source: news.nationalgeographic.com...#/japan-volcano-kirishim a-lightning-3_31752_600x450.jpg

Link to the National Geo story/pics on the Iceland Volcano (April 2010):
news.nationalgeographic.com...
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/7d1bba951a29.jpg[/atsimg]
Photograph by Peter Vancoillie, Your Shot

A blast of white-hot lightning crackles over Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull volcano on Sunday. Clouds of volcanic ash from Eyjafjallajökull have snarled European air traffic for nearly a week.

I didn't know Lighting was so prevalent around volcano's. Or that they could be so beautiful and awesome looking.

Great that someone was able to be there and document such events and be able to share them with us back in the Safe areas.

I think my favorite on is the last one from Iceland. I like how the snow glimmers with the light reflection however, the first one is a very close call for it also. Just look at it.

Any ATS member get close to an active volcano? How close? and you know this was coming--Pics/Video?

Enjoy.

reply to post by anon72


Great stuff Anon!

Thanks for sharing, I love these lighting/eruption photos. That last one especially.

~Keeper

oh wow that first one is awesome as they are all ... great pics ...

...anon, you come up with the best pics... dont know which one of these i like best... they're all fantastic...

Thanks for sharing those pictures.

I could almost feel the energy of the lightening just looking at it.

Most awesome.

Amazing pics you posted Anon, already using one for my wallpaper.

Beautiful and terrifying.

Thanks for sharing.

Never seen anything like that before.

absolutely stunning pic's another good find BRAVO you do find the most interesting stuff to post.

Holy crap! That is fantastic!

I was just blown away by the first one. That is something I would expect to see in a CGI-overload Sci-Fi movie, but not in real life!

I'm definitely adding seeing something like that to my imaginary "Stuff I want to see before I die"-list.

Screw the northern lights, this stuff is much more awesome!

Beautiful pics! Id love to see that in r/l it would be something to rember..thanks for posting these im going to use one for my wallpaper also

reply to post by anon72


Awesome imagery!

Thanks for sharing the fury of Mother Earth! It is so beautiful to see!

Just to be redundant: Fantastic pics!!!!

"Shocking... positively shocking"
- 007

metal album covers for sure

Great idea using them as wallpaper.

I know of someone that may use one for an avatar....

Can't wait to see it.

Be sure to check out the Iceland one also.

reply to post by anon72


Hi anon72,, Wall Paper HELL !!!!!!!!
Looking at those Pictures kinda gets me all excited and I started looking around for my old man
There he is, and he sees me looking at with with that , Look in my eyes and he looks like he's getting ready to run he knows there no place he can hide he's MINE NOW!

That's Gota Go

Very Much Appreciated!!! Thanks For Sharing!!! WOW!!!

reply to post by anon72


This is scary and beautiful! I haven't seen such magnificent pictures of natures extreme power since looking at pictures of scary dark clouds.

This goes to show how marvelous the Earth is.

Suppose it proves the inner core is going magnetically ballistic,wonder if they`ll find antimatter in those lightining bolts,now that would be interesting.

They are amazing! thanks so much Anon for sharing!!! Oh, funny story - I was on some blog site the other day (I think it was Tumblr ) And they had a photo of the volcanic lightning - but they said (being the uninformed 14 year olds that frequent that site) "OMG this is what happens when a tornado meets up with a volcano"

Last time I visit that blog. 25,000 people reblogged it, and commented on how their current relationship was so similar, 'like, with such opposing forces of nature, becoming one - soooo me and *instert name* right now!' ugh! So uninformed it made me want to cry!

But thankyou again for sharing. Ah, how I love the Fragile Earth forum!

appreciate the pics :-)

thanks so much