Sakurajima eruption
Sakurajima eruptionMartin Rietze

Volcanic eruptions that spit lightning? These incredible images are not the work of some devious Photoshop wiz, but come from the camera of Martin Rietze, who captured this eruption of the Sakurajima Valcano in southern Japan in February 2013.

Echoing the apocalyptic force of John Martin's The End of the World, the above gallery captures a 30 second eruption from Sakurajima, an active composite volcano that can erupt up to seven times a day. When Rietze travelled to Sakurajima to capture these images, the volcano had been venting smoke and ash for 14 hours, before a 30 second eruption occurred, spewing lava bombs and lightning.

No one is certain as to why lightning can occur at the summit of a volcano. A team of researchers observing a similar eruption at Mount St Augustine, Alksa, in 2006, recorded magma, ash and rock spewing out of the volcano carrying great electrical charge which resulted in sparks and fingers of lightning -- though the mechanism for what causes that charge is still debated. When the energised hot air and magma clashes with cooler air, it results in differently charged particles separating from each other, producing an electrical discharge.

Rietze has been photographing volcanoes for ten years, publishing his work on an online gallery Alien Landscapes on Planet Earth. asked the photographer how close is "too close" when going in search of volcano eruptions.

"You gain experience over the years in terms of how near can you get without exposing yourself to too much risk. The risk can vary with each location, especially the so-called grey volcanoes [in which magma erupts under great pressure, emerging as a thick ash], and anything generating pyroclastic flows is dangerous. With non-explosive volcanoes, such as those you find in Hawaii, you can approach to the lava till the radiation heat stops you, about one to two metres from the lava."

Rietze was around four kilometres away from Sakurajima when he captured these images, using a full-frame DSLR with a focal length of 90-200mm. Amazingly, Rietze doesn't usually get that nervous when photographing nature at its most violent, but things can get dangerous. "Sometimes the volcano behaves differently than expected. I can get scared, especially when pyroclastic flows are getting bigger, or when metre-sized lavabombs fly in unexpected directions, sometimes passing directly overhead." We'll stick to observing from the safety of our computers.

Photos courtesy of Martin Reitze


  1. vljkgfuyfpiy big8ig pibuoiyguyvifdyicdovbvygi7ri7vcs55sivfnphbiygutrdinkj, lg9p  

    Mar 14th 2013
  2. Web Design

    Lava Infotech
    Mar 14th 2013
  3. surely you meant : lkhgd;oiuqwhyer091823u7-08-102u-193yuoqiwehclkjanbcaloieuq93u-qu3-q0ujpqiwhj and woifjhspdofjhsl;kdfjs;lkdjf;oki[p0-io-[0iu-9wuerwpoej;wqlkem;wlk


    Mar 15th 2013
  4. it's called ionic disturbance, geothermal activity causes fluxes of geomagnetic energy to discharge,.. mystery solved lol  

    Mar 16th 2013
    1. In reply to Adrien

      Amazing nonetheless!Two destructive forces combined making a beautiful bale. Thank you Martin Rietze.  

      Mar 25th 2013
  5. Why do the researchers not consider that electrical factors might lead to the volcano erupting? Is there any justification for ruling out that option at the outset or is is just blind prejudice?  

    Mar 18th 2013
  6. Stunning! No wonder people used to believe in crazy gods and the like...well I guess many still do but thats another debate :-)  

    Andy H
    Mar 28th 2013

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