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Study Reveals Volcanic Ash Sparks 2,600 Lightning Flashes

4/23/2026

Summary

Story summary

The 2022 Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha‘apai eruption produced over 2,600 lightning flashes per minute and reached altitudes of 19 miles.
A study by the Institute of Science and Technology Austria, published in Nature, found that carbon-rich coatings on ash particles facilitate electrical charge transfer during collisions.
Ash with a carbon coating generates significant electrical charge, unlike clean silica particles, and volcanic heat and updrafts create conditions for massive discharges.

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Story summary

The 2022 Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha‘apai eruption produced over 2,600 lightning flashes per minute and reached altitudes of 19 miles.
A study by the Institute of Science and Technology Austria, published in Nature, found that carbon-rich coatings on ash particles facilitate electrical charge transfer during collisions.
Ash with a carbon coating generates significant electrical charge, unlike clean silica particles, and volcanic heat and updrafts create conditions for massive discharges.