In August 1986, Lake Nyos in Cameroon suffered a catastrophic limnic eruption, exploding not with lava, but with hundreds of thousands of tons of dissolved carbon dioxide. Deep volcanic vents beneath the lake continually seep CO2 into the bottom waters, where immense hydrostatic pressure keeps the gas dissolved in solution like an unopened soda bottle. A subtle trigger—likely a landslide, strong wind, or cold rain—disrupted the stratified water layers, driving saturated water toward the surface.
As pressure decreased during the ascent, the dissolved CO2 rapidly came out of solution, triggering a runaway chain reaction that erupted a 300-foot column of water and gas. The dense, invisible cloud poured over surrounding valleys at 60 mph, displacing oxygen and causing widespread asphyxiation. To prevent a recurring disaster, scientists engineered a unique controlled degassing system starting in the late 1990s.
By sinking polyethylene pipes to the lake bed and initiating an initial siphon, the self-sustaining pressure differential creates a continuous geyser that safely bleeds off dissolved gas into the atmosphere, keeping carbon dioxide levels below critical saturation thresholds.