112
top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[-] A_norny_mousse@feddit.org 13 points 2 months ago

Electrocuted, basically:

“Lightning does not strike a point, it strikes an area,” said John Jensenius, a lightning safety specialist with the National Weather Service. “The physical flash you see strikes a point, but that lightning is radiating out as ground current and it’s very deadly.”

[-] AugustWest@lemm.ee 3 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

That's interesting. I have seen lightning split a tree and then follow wires into a house blowing out the wall all long the path of the wires. I have also seen it lift up decking when following underground wires.

But if lightning hits with no lightning rod and ground is equally everywhere I guess I could imagine this result.

[-] pinball_wizard@lemmy.zip 3 points 2 months ago

I read somewhere that the induced electical field shift near a lightning strike is - while orders of magnitude calmer than the strike itself - still powerful enough to burn, maim and kill.

I think it's what Wikipedia calls "side splash" in the article on lightning injury?

[-] Swedneck@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 1 month ago

i mean there's also the large amount of plasma which is very hot

[-] A_norny_mousse@feddit.org 3 points 2 months ago

and ground is equally everywhere

You make an interesting point; Lapland is known for being relatively flat, often stony and pretty much treeless. I'm sure that contributed to an increased radius.

[-] colourlessidea@sopuli.xyz 1 points 2 months ago

Small correction: this was in southwestern Norway; Lapland is in the far north of Finland.

[-] A_norny_mousse@feddit.org 3 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Oh, sorry I just assumed Lapland when I saw reindeer.

Lapland - or Sápmi to be precise, but that's an even larger area - is in the North of Finland, Sweden and Norway.

[-] superkret@feddit.org 2 points 2 months ago

When you correct people, double-check that you're correct.
I spent several weeks in Lapland, and I was nowhere close to Finland at any point

load more comments (4 replies)
load more comments (7 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (6 replies)
[-] GreenKnight23@lemmy.world 12 points 2 months ago

had this happened 2000 years ago a local village would be absolutely losing their SHIT.

  1. look at all that fucking MEAT
  2. god has blessed us with a bountiful harvest
  3. did you see all that fucking MEAT?!
[-] SirHery@lemmy.world 10 points 2 months ago

I don't think they would go near that.

[-] null_dot@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 points 2 months ago

Hard to know.

Could go either way.

I can certainly imagine people avoiding it because of implied danger.

... but I can also imagine people evaluating it and concluding that "they don't look sick, and they taste fine".

I guess the decision depends on how hungry you are.

I think it's important to point out that anyone making this decision was probably using the herd as a primary source of food...it's pretty clearly a sign that you should hit the road.

load more comments (1 replies)
[-] smee@poeng.link 7 points 2 months ago

Way back there weren't any settlements, only nomadic tribes. They'd loose their shit alright. "Oh no, our transport and future food resources!"

[-] BigBenis@lemmy.world 12 points 2 months ago

Lightning is one of those things that makes it easy to see why people invented Gods to explain the phenomena.

[-] RymrgandsDaughter@lemmy.blahaj.zone 10 points 2 months ago
[-] Tedesche@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago

OP since original D&D.

[-] sirico@feddit.uk 2 points 2 months ago

Area of effect what's that

[-] TriflingToad@sh.itjust.works 10 points 2 months ago

how does lightning work? I've seen videos of people being struck like 5 times and they are fine with some scars and minor nerve trauma. What causes that person to be ok, but 300 reindeer just die?

[-] AlsaValderaan@lemmy.blahaj.zone 12 points 2 months ago

You get a circular voltage gradient away from the strike spot. A human with their two legs doesn't spread along that as far as a deer's four legs do, so they catch more voltage drop across that, which also runs through their body (along their heart etc). It just depends a lot on how and where a body is affected by electricity.

[-] TriflingToad@sh.itjust.works 2 points 2 months ago

that's a good explanation thank you

[-] Dasus@lemmy.world 10 points 2 months ago

Also, when the lighting struck, it was probably not from a clear sky. And reindeer can huddle. So if they're all pretty much already touching each other...

Or even if they're not huddled, they have a sort of defense mechanism where they just running in circles when threatened.

https://www.livescience.com/64778-vikings-reindeer-cyclone.html

So I imagine a thunderstorm might elicit that response. It's just a guess though.

[-] Whats_your_reasoning@lemmy.world 4 points 2 months ago

I just keep watching this. It’s fascinating to see how the “eye” of the herd forms, strengthens, and moves. The individual actions of dozens, if not hundreds, of reindeer coalesce into the same pattern as a hurricane… Fucking beautiful. Thank you for sharing this.

[-] Dasus@lemmy.world 5 points 2 months ago

You're welcome.

Ever seen murmurations?

[-] Kommeavsted@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

They turned it into a study of how the rotting carcasses impact the environment!

[-] ZILtoid1991@lemmy.world 5 points 2 months ago
[-] daskye@lemm.ee 5 points 2 months ago

mildly horrifying

[-] espentan@lemmy.world 4 points 2 months ago

Rotting???

Looks edible to me 😎

[-] protist@mander.xyz 4 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

This Practical Engineering video explains the concepts behind how this happened

TLDR: The electricity is trying to flow through the Earth, but a reindeer is a better conductor, so it flows up into the nearest leg and down out the furthest leg. If they were standing on one foot they might've been ok

load more comments (4 replies)
[-] jaredt@lemmy.ca 3 points 2 months ago

Christmas is fucked this year

load more comments (2 replies)
[-] Venus_Ziegenfalle@feddit.org 3 points 2 months ago

Imagine in prehistoric times you and your posse are stalking a herd of those when all of a sudden ZAP and they just lie there medium rare

[-] A_norny_mousse@feddit.org 1 points 2 months ago

...along with you and your posse

[-] blazeknave@lemmy.world 2 points 2 months ago
load more comments (1 replies)
[-] WhatSay@slrpnk.net 2 points 2 months ago

⚡ SMITED ⚡

[-] MrShankles@reddthat.com 2 points 2 months ago

How many survived? How big was this herd? That's pretty insane, no matter how you cut it

AWWW FUCK YEA

DEER SEASON IS LOOKIN GOOOOOOOD

[-] y0kai@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 2 months ago
[-] dickalan@lemmy.world 2 points 2 months ago

Yes, the smell of venison is hunger inducing, rotten flesh, not so much

load more comments
view more: next ›
this post was submitted on 25 Apr 2025
112 points (98.3% liked)

Mildly Interesting

21672 readers
50 users here now

This is for strictly mildly interesting material. If it's too interesting, it doesn't belong. If it's not interesting, it doesn't belong.

This is obviously an objective criteria, so the mods are always right. Or maybe mildly right? Ahh.. what do we know?

Just post some stuff and don't spam.

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS