The whirlwind raises dust and brushwood: a "dust devil" spotted in Lunamatrona
In Sardinian it is known as "puburedda", in the country as "bentu moi moi". A curious but not very rare phenomenon caused by the warming of the groundAround midday, an unusual phenomenon caught the attention of the inhabitants of Lunamatrona. A dust devil , also known as a whirlwind or in English as a Dust Devil , has developed in the cemetery area on the outskirts of the town, raising straw, grass and dust into the air. In Sardinian it is called puburedda , but depending on the area it changes name: «Here in Lunamatrona we call it bentu moi moi », says the deputy mayor Emanuele Murru, who together with the mayor Italo Carruciu documented the scene by filming with his mobile phone.
«In Sardinia, the phenomenon is not very rare , it often crosses bare and uninhabited land. Its short duration also makes it a phenomenon that is difficult to catalogue . It is formed due to the strong heating of the ground , which generates an upward current with rotary motion, triggered by the differential entry of air at its edges. It rarely causes damage to people or things. The wind, on the sides of the vortex, can exceed 120 kilometers per hour", explains meteorologist Dario Secci of Sardegna Clima.
Curiously, typing the name of this phenomenon into search engines reveals that dust devils are not exclusive to Earth: they also occur on Mars. This makes the mystery of natural phenomena, both terrestrial and extraterrestrial, even more fascinating.
