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Article: Burping lake endangers thousands.(Lake Nyos has build-up of dangerous carbon dioxide gas.)(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- Geographical
- Article date:
- July 1, 2000
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2000 Circle Publishing Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Scientists are warning villagers in Cameroon that the build up of poisonous carbon dioxide gas beneath Lake Nyos, in the northwest of the country, could lead to a dangerous emission of suffocating gas. Many fear a repeat of the mysterious and insidious emission 14 years ago when a massive cloud of carbon dioxide burped from the lake and killed more than 1,700 people and thousands of livestock. Carbon dioxide, seeping from underground volcanic activity, exploded through the lake and moved unseen down the valley.
Poisonous gas emissions from lakes are a rare phenomenon. The only other recorded carbon dioxide burst, which killed 37 people, occurred at nearby Lake ...