1986 : CAMEROON |
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Nearly 2,000 people perished down slope of LAKE NYOS in August, 1986, when
a large volume of poisonous gas was suddenly released from the lake late one
evening. People simply "went to sleep" that night, and few ever awoke. Our
USGS-OFDA team arrived a week after the tragedy, recognized that Lake Nyos
was a young volcanic maar, and that carbon dioxide of volcanic origin had
been released from solution in the lake's waters. On-going work by Bill
Evans has shown that CO2 is continuing to be supplied to the lake, and that
other gas-release events are inevitable in the future. Permanent
habitations in vulnerable areas down slope is now prohibited. |
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