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3. The Catatumbo Lightning: Nature's Eternal Storm
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The Catatumbo lightning is a natural beauty hidden in the middle of Venezuela that has perplexed experts and delighted onlookers for ages. Over the mouth of the Catatumbo River, where it drains into Lake Maracaibo, this ongoing thunderstorm strikes. With lightning strikes occurring up to 280 times per hour, for up to 10 hours a day, for over half the year, this phenomena is very amazing in regularity and intensity. The high concentration of methane in the vicinity influences the colour of the electrical discharge by which the lightning is distinguished blue. Local tales have the Catatumbo lightning as a heavenly guardian directing ships and repelling attackers. Actually, this natural lighthouse was quite important in Venezuelan history since it helped to stop multiple colonial invasion efforts. Apart from being a distinctive tourist attraction, the Catatumbo lightning today offers useful information for climate researchers investigating atmospheric electricity and its influence on world temperature trends.
