The dust storm on Mars is electricity
Mark Garlic/Science Photo Library/Aramie
Electric whirlwinds on Mars can produce lightning-like discharges, which can pose a threat to rovers running around the surface of the red planet.
Bad weather on Mars can create swirls, dust demons in Mars soil that spin for a few minutes before disappearing. Dust Devils also form on the Earth, and when the large dust particles they carry (which tend to be positively charged) fall to the ground, they can become electrified. If this electric field grows…
Source: www.newscientist.com