A night under the stars… and a surprise avalanche
It was a few weeks ago, Li had a simple plan: photograph star trails above Mount Xiannairi. But nature decided otherwise. A huge block of ice, called a serac, broke away from the hanging glacier and triggered a spectacular avalanche.
So far, nothing extraordinary. But looking at his photos, Li discovered a strange detail: flashes of blue light followed the descent of snow and ice. And above all, the most astonishing thing is that they were invisible to the naked eye.
Triboluminescence: a light born from shock
To explain this phenomenon, we speak of triboluminescence. It’s a complicated word to describe a light that appears when a material breaks, rubs or suffers an impact.
In the case of the avalanche, the blue lightning would be linked to shock points
where the ice breaks against the mountain. These collisions could generate electrical charges, which ionize the air around and produce this blue light. A sort of mini éclair, but in a glacier version.
An intriguing rarity
This is not the first time that blue flashes have been observed in this type of situation. A few weeks before Li, another avalanche at Mount Muztagh Ata in Xinjiang showed a similar phenomenon. But these events are rare, even if avalanches are common.
According to studies, ice contains natural electric fields, created by ions trapped in its structure. When it suddenly cracks, these fields are released and can produce light. This phenomenon, well known in the laboratory, is difficult to observe on a large scale.
A stroke of luck
If Li succeeded in making such a shot, it is mainly thanks to a nice scientific coincidence. Blue lightning is still a mystery, but it could help us better understand the forces at work in the ice. That being said, if you come across one, you may be near an avalanche, so be careful anyway.
