AVO Staff Directory:

It has long been known that volcanic eruptions can produce vigorous lightning. Early investigations of volcanic lightning were made during the Surtsey and Heimay eruptions in Iceland in 1963 and 1973 (1, 2). Despite increasing interest (3,5), volcanic lightning continues to be poorly understood, because there are few direct scientific observations of the phenomena. We report observations of lightning during the recent eruptions of Mt. Augustine in Alaska that provide a more detailed picture of volcanic lightning than heretofore available.

Thomas, J.R., Krehbiel, P.R., Rison, W., Edens, H.E., Aulich, G.D., Winn, W.P., McNutt, S.R., Tytgat, G., and Clark, E., 2007, Electrical activity during the 2006 Mount St. Augustine volcanic eruptions: Science, v. 315, p. 1097.