r/askscience

At first, I thought it was stupid, but after some reflection, it’s not. After the rain, water stays on the leaves and, as a result, remains in the air rather than on the ground.

I recommend an experiment. After it rains, go under a tree and shake it hard. You’ll see how much water is up there.

Does this have a major impact on flooding?

I'm trying to determine if the likelihood of a lightning strike is reduced based on known geological conditions of a particular area.

The area in question is Lake Lohantan, an ancient lakebed that has dried up about 9000 years ago. The particular area around the area of interest has a water table around 30-50ft. The water report indicates low concentrations of minerals, and the neighbors have reported no filtration is required for the ground water. The known depth of the sand extends to around 800ft based on geological modeling done for a geothermal study.

I was in the center of this area working on a 15ft metal communications pole when a thunderstorm rolled in.

I distinctly remember hearing a buzzing sound from some of the equipment on the pole when I was under the thick of it. At this point I was in my car and away from it a good bit. Lightning never struck the pole, or anywhere around for at least several miles, instead striking the outer edges of the lakebed far away.

This had me wondering if the sand is acting as some sort of extremely large isolator from the more conductive rock and earth underneath?

I'm trying to spec out a very large solar array, and this would help with the frequency of the surge protection equipment getting replaced due to lightning strikes.

I am aware of the K-PG boundary which marks the end of the dinosaur era with the Chicxulub asteroid hit.  Not aware of any other.  Are there other, lesser known,  geological boundaries like that ? If so what does it mark the end and/or start of ?