This is the most unique natural phenomenon in the world called Relámpago del Catatumbo or Catatumbo lightning, which often occurs at the mouth of the Catatumbo River and Lake Maracaibo of Venezuela.
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This phenomenon from a cloud lightning forms an electric arc that stretches for more than 500km during 140-160 nights a year and lasts 10 hours a night.
On average, there are about 280 lightning strikes in an hour.
Each year there will be about 1,176,000 electrical discharges with a magnitude of up to 400,000 amperes and visible from a distance of 400km.
Catatumbo lightning is caused by the collision of winds from the Andes that create storms that form thunder and discharge through ionization, in which methane is produced from decay. organic matter in the marshes of the Catatumbo River area.
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This gas is lighter than air and reaches the clouds, making storms more violent. This phenomenon is considered to be the largest single generator in the Earth’s ozone layer.
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