mleku on Nostr: they are simplified versions of the roots-and-tree geometry of the electrostatic ...

they are simplified versions of the roots-and-tree geometry of the electrostatic shock emerging from the ground, as it travels upwards they move towards each other because the electricity converts the atmosphere into plasma, which is more conductive than normal inert atmosphere in normal conditions, and then the top part splays out as it has to go wider again to complete the circuit in the ionosphere

the "legs and arms" shape is because the regions of lower resistance through which the arc travels from the ground tend to be small central zones in the middle of a higher conduction area, bubbles of magma under the ground, or similar, or worn down river valleys and plains, or highly conductive chunks of material like large bodies of rock formed from volcanic eruptions (these are full of magnesium/iron/silicates, ie basalt)