Volcanic lightning occurs when an eruption injects millions of ash particles into the sky, each one colliding, fracturing, and building electrical charge through friction. As the plume rises, the temperature difference between molten rock, ice crystals, and ash creates an extreme charge imbalance. When the electrical field becomes strong enough, it discharges in violent lightning bursts that branch through the cloud. | AstroNature

What are the odds? Lightning strikes a volcano as it erupts! | USA TODAY

Dramatic video shows bolts of lightning as a volcano spews ash up to nine miles into the air in the Philippines. The country has raised the alert level, meaning an "explosive eruption" could happen in the coming hours or days: cnn.it/35OKfBK | CNN

Incredible footage of volcanic eruption of a dormant volcano in Ethiopia from a commercial plane. 🌋 The dormant giant exploded with a towering ash column, pyroclastic clouds, and volcanic lightning ripping through the plume like threads of white fire. The entire scene was illuminated by the rising sun… turning destruction into something surreal and almost otherworldly. A moment no one on that plane will ever forget and one the world has never seen until now. ✈️ | Otherworld Earth

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