Lightning strike kills more than 300 reindeer in Norway
Source: AP
STOCKHOLM (AP) More than 300 wild reindeer have been killed by lighting in central Norway in what wildlife officials are calling an unusually large natural disaster.
The Norwegian Environment Agency has released eerie images showing a jumble of reindeer carcasses scattered across a small area on the Hardangervidda mountain plateau. The agency says 323 animals were killed, including 70 calves, in the lightning storm Friday.
Agency spokesman Kjartan Knutsen told the AP it's not uncommon for reindeer or other wildlife to be killed by lightning strikes, "but we have not heard about such numbers before."
He said reindeer tend to stay very close to each other in bad weather, which could explain how so many were killed at once.
Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/8feb2a512e4b44cf8718b838e23f1d83/lightning-strike-kills-more-300-reindeer-norway?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=AP
Fast Walker 52
(7,723 posts)How many strikes would that take?
duncang
(1,907 posts)I can't say for sure in this instance since normally the voltage dissipates fairly quick. It could be step voltage potential (aka Earth potential rise see link below) But a voltage differential across a foot or two can be pretty large. This can happen from a lightning strike near a person and the voltage differential shows up between a persons legs. In 4 legged animal the difference in voltage maybe between the hind and front legs going through the chest. Think of it this way you may have 10,000 volts at one leg but due to the resistance of the soil have 9,000 volts on the other leg. In this case it could be rain saturated ground, the mix of soil and rocks where the right combination to allow the voltage to travel a pretty good distance.
Here is a pdf link explaining it better then I have.
http://www.surgetek.co.za/more/step_and_touch_potentials.pdf
Edit: Btw it's amperage that kills. Even low voltage differences can have enough amperage to kill going through the chest area.
Javaman
(62,530 posts)Exactly right.
I used to help the electrical's on filmsets when I worked as a P.A. They would drill that into me every single day. You could have 50,000 volts but if it's 1/2 an amp, you will be okay, but if you have 1000 volts and 10 amps, you will get a big hurt coming your way.
mahatmakanejeeves
(57,489 posts)That could easily be lethal.
Effects of Electric Current in the Human Body
Current Reaction
Below 1 milliampere Generally not perceptible
1 milliampere Faint tingle
5 milliamperes Slight shock felt; not painful but disturbing. Average individual can let go. Strong involuntary reactions can lead to other injuries.
625 milliamperes (women) Painful shock, loss of muscular control*
930 milliamperes (men) The freezing current or " let-go" range.* Individual cannot let go, but can be thrown away from the circuit if extensor muscles are stimulated.
50150 milliamperes Extreme pain, respiratory arrest, severe muscular contractions. Death is possible.
1,0004,300 milliamperes Rhythmic pumping action of the heart ceases. Muscular contraction and nerve damage occur; death likely.
10,000 milliamperes Cardiac arrest, severe burns; death probable
* If the extensor muscles are excited by the shock, the person may be thrown away from the power source.
Source: W.B. Kouwenhoven, " Human Safety and Electric Shock," Electrical Safety Practices, Monograph, 112, Instrument Society of America, p. 93. November 1968.
Javaman
(62,530 posts)then the halfwit electricians I was working with didn't know shit. that's terrifying.
mahatmakanejeeves
(57,489 posts)mahatmakanejeeves
(57,489 posts)Go to page 20677 and see "Appendix C to § 1910.269Protection From Hazardous Differences in Electric Potential."
daleo
(21,317 posts)Said that ground currents, created by the lightning strike could actually cause damage for a fair distance. Reindeer standing close together would reinforce that. I am reminded of the geophysical exploration technique known as induced polarization, which involves injecting current into the Earth and measuring the decay of the resulting ground currents.
daleo
(21,317 posts)The current from a strike could flow from animal to animal.
duncang
(1,907 posts)It was probably a combination of some animals being close, touching and step potential.
Fast Walker 52
(7,723 posts)Zing Zing Zingbah
(6,496 posts)So many animals killed from one storm.
Calista241
(5,586 posts)randome
(34,845 posts)This story sounds suspiciously familiar. Was it reindeer last time? Or gazelle? Can't quite remember.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]There is nothing you can't do if you put your mind to it.
Nothing.[/center][/font][hr]
DFW
(54,405 posts)She comes from the flat farming communities of Northwestern Germany, and she said the three most common causes of death in her area were car crashes (many of them drive while drunk), lung cancer (almost all of them smoke) and lightning strikes, which killed more than a few of her neighbors who didn't take the danger seriously.
dembotoz
(16,808 posts)duncang
(1,907 posts)It is not a good idea to go outside and reset a breaker at your house during a lightning storm. Lightning can strike anywhere from a decent distance away from your house on the neutral of your power line all the way to your house and have a step potential issue if you are near the breaker panel.
ananda
(28,866 posts).. 17,000 lightning strikes in Europe.
Blandocyte
(1,231 posts)When reached for comment, Rudolf said only, "Forever alone."
Helen Borg
(3,963 posts)Liberal_in_LA
(44,397 posts)ehrnst
(32,640 posts)Thanks, Obama.