Something about volcanoes

OK, I didn't read the whole article, because all I could think was... this is the backdrop those duelling polar bears need.

Glass formed by volcanic lightning could be used to study eruptions

Researchers who study volcanoes must get creative: The extreme conditions of an erupting volcano can destroy instruments used to measure the fiery event, making studying the heat, energy, lava flow, and other characteristics of the eruption difficult.

Now, researchers have developed a method to measure one of the most striking and difficult to measure volcanic features – volcanic lightning – using the tiny glass spheres formed by hot volcanic ash.

Volcanic lightning can occur when ash shoots out of a volcano, building up a charge as particles are heated rapidly and rub against each other. When the lightning strikes in the plume, it is hot enough to change ash particles into small glass spheres.

https://blogs.agu.org/geospace/2017/04/27/glass-formed-volcanic-lightning-used-study-eruptions/