Lightning Strikes in Iceland Volcano's Ash Cloud: Big Pics
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April 19, 2010 -- The eruption of Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland continued unabated over the weekend, spelling misery for just about anyone trying to travel in Europe.
But it sure made for some incredible fireworks. Particles within the volcano's billowing ash cloud build up tremendous charges of static electricity, and just like a in thundercloud, positive and negative charges must eventually connect in brilliant flashes of lightning.
The combination of lightning and incandescent ash clouds in these time-lapse images makes this stunning natural phenomenon look like nothing less than the apocalypse.
In fact, after Alaska's Mount Redoubt volcano erupted in 2009 and created lightning in its enormous plumes of ash and steam, researchers declared it a new form of lightning. Today, three types of lightning now have been tied to volcanic eruptions.
Images: Rakel Orvar Atli Thorge/NordicPhotos/Getty Images
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