The earliest recorded observations of volcanic lightning are from Pliny the Younger , describing the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD , " There was a most intense darkness rendered more appalling by the fitful gleam of torches at intervals obscured by the transient blaze of lightning . " The first studies of volcanic lightning were also conducted at Mount Vesuvius by Professor Palmieri who observed the eruptions of 1858 , 1861 , 1868 , and 1872 from the Vesuvius Observatory . These eruptions often included lightning activity
eruption
Eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79
Volcanic lightning