Relampago del Catatumbo
This everlasting lightning storm is the world's largest generator of ozone
Category Weird Weather Phenomena
There's something strange in the air where the Catatumbo River flows into Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela...
For 140 to 160 nights out of the year, for 10 hours at a time, the sky above the river is pierced by almost constant lightning, producing as many as 280 strikes per hour. Known as the "Relampago del Catatumbo," this lightning storm has been raging, on and off, for as long a people can remember.
It was first written about in the 1597 poem "The Dragontea" by Lope de Vega. De Vega tells of Sir Francis Drake's 1595 attempt to take the city of Maracaibo by night, only to have his plans foiled when the lightning storm's flashes gave away his position to the city's defenders.
This happened again on July 24, 1823, when, during the Venezuelan War of Independence, Spanish ships were revealed by the lightning and defeated by the Simón Bolívar's upstart navy.
In fact, the lightning, visible from 40 kilometers away, is so regular that it's been used as a navigation aid by ships and is known among sailors as the "Maracaibo Beacon."Interestingly, generally little to no sound accompanies this fantastic light show as the lightning is cloud to cloud and far , far above the ground.
It's still unknown exactly why this area--and this area alone--should produce such regular lightning. One theory holds that ionized methane gas rising from the Catatumbo bogs is meeting with storm clouds coming down from the Andes, helping to create the perfect conditions for a lightning storm.
With a total of roughly 1.2 million lightning discharges per year, the Relampago del Catatumbo is thought to be the world's greatest producer of ozone. As the lightning rips through the air, it produces nitrogen oxide, which is broken down by sunlight and converted into ozone, ending up in the protective layer high above the planet.
It is this feature, beyond just its amazing beauty, that makes the Relampago del Catatumbo and this region of Venezuela so important, with the everlasting storm working silently in the background to slowly repair the earth's damaged ozone layer.
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- Address Lake Maracaibo, Catatumbo River, Venezuela
Comments
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Anonymous
January 20, 2010
Isn't it "lightning", not "lighting"? The eye passes over the difference at first, but then there are too many typos not to notice ... -
Anonymous
August 23, 2009
Esto lo tenia cerca de mi casa
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Anonymous
July 31, 2009
Why don't they put Inized methane releasing stations at the bottom of other mountain ranges to make more lightning hot-spots to repair the ozone faster? Also, surely you'd be able to gather energy from the lightening if you had long rods sticking up into the air to catch the strikes?
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Anonymous
July 20, 2009
i love lightning what i wouldn't give too see that for my self
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Anonymous
July 20, 2009
Another curiosity: in silence! without thunder"
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