Insane footage of a volcano explosion. | This is Happening

Volcanic eruptions are breathtaking—but with lightning, they become nature’s most electrifying spectacle! When a volcano erupts, it creates a plume, which is a mixture of hot volcanic ash, gas, and water vapour that is tightly packed together. As it ascends, tiny particles gain friction, which helps contribute to these lightning strikes. #EarthCapture at Volcán de Fuego, Guatemala by Danielle Herrera 📸 #volcano #lightning #naturephotography #science | BBC Earth

Do you know why volcano lightning exists? During massive eruptions, plumes of ash and rock particles are blasted into the sky, colliding with each other at high speeds. These collisions strip electrons from particles, creating electrical charges. When the imbalance grows, the sky erupts in lightning, often brighter and more violent than storms on Earth. This phenomenon has been recorded in eruptions from Mount Vesuvius to Mount Saint Helens, and it creates one of nature's most terrifying yet bea