The Lightning of the Catatumbo [Record Guinness]
There is a place in Venezuela that is home to a strange storm that almost never stops. It is an extensive and agitated beast that arises and produces continuous lightning; A phenomenon of singular intensity, which looks more like an angry beast than a mere meteorological phenomenon. In this place, sometimes up to almost 300 days a year, the Catatumbo Lightning falls from the sky and breaks in the earth, providing a dazzling natural display in its most furious state. Here, in a small, swampy corner of Venezuela, the storm unfolds, and produces the most breathtaking natural light show on earth.
The Catatumbo Delta is the place with the most electric activity on the planet. It is possible to observe up to 2,000,000 flashes of light a year, being able to generate more than 280 discharges per hour in each night, forming arches that reach more than 10 km in height. Between May and December the activity is immense.
It occurs in the Lake Maracaibo Basin in Venezuela, mainly in the southern part of this lake and in the lower basin of the Catatumbo River, from which it derives its name. Scientists say it would be most appropriate to talk about Catatumbo's lightning flashes, because they tend to occur in multiple places every night, but from a distance they are seen as a single natural phenomenon.
One report says that the phenomenon is possibly caused by mountain clashes (Cordilleras de los Andes and Perija surround the Catatumbo River) and oceanic winds with warm river water at night producing flashes of lightning.
Another theory involves the Kerogen, a mixture of organic compounds found in sedimentary rocks that is highly concentrated in the area, produced by the underground oil fields. Leakage of this compound into the atmosphere can contribute to the accumulation of methane that triggers storms. Climate and humidity can also play a role, as the last time the Lightning had a significant pause was in 2010 when the El Niño phenomenon caused massive droughts in much of the country. Others explain this pause by citing unrestrained deforestation in the region, which can also affect in unknown ways.
This infrared image shows the intense convection that occurs around the Lake of Maracaibo. The great central circle is the Lightning of the Catatumbo. [Courtesy of NOAA / VIIRS CIRA]
According to NASA's Earth Observatory, it is considered to be the only place on the planet that receives so many rays.
This ray not only occurs in excessively large amounts, it is also very powerful, with each beam being discharged between 100,000 to 400,000 amps, far more than normal. This terribly powerful beam is so incredibly bright and steady that it is visible from up to 250 miles away.
In January 2014, Venezuela entered the Guinness Book of Records for the largest drop of lightning per hour in this locality. Also the Catatumbo Lightning is believed to be the largest tropospheric ozone generator in the world.
As the climate warms and ecosystems change, scientists will continue to seek an explanation for this inimitable phenomenon once and for all.
For now, The Lightning of Catatumbo continues to illuminate the sky as it always has. It has become a very valuable part of my country Venezuela, it is a gift and a national treasure. The place where the storm occurs, Zulia even counts the lightning on its flag. My country is so proud of the storm that it currently applies plans to record the storm and its area as a World Heritage Site, a classification that would be completely new to the organization as it usually only recognizes real physical locations. So far, these plans have not been achieved, but the area has the distinction of keeping the Guinness World Record for the most amount of fallen rays per square kilometer per year.
I Show a Gallery of Images of the Natural Phenomenon
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What a wicked post, worth an awful lot more than it has received so far... Thanks a bunch for the information, I've learned a lot, and the pictures are astounding. AWESOME!!! Namaste :)
Thx Bro. Resteem For more people to see.
Done! Namaste :)
Increible @carlos-cabeza!
Yo estuve en Maracaibo y no me toco ver la tormenta :(
Gracias @danilamarilu, eso debe ser un espectáculo. Saludos