LAKE NEOS

Hey there! Did you know that there's a really stinky fart in Cameroon that's super dangerous? Cameroon is a country in Africa that's famous for growing coffee, cotton, and cacao. They also have a really good soccer team called the Indomitable Lions. They've been to the World Cup nine times, which is more than any other African team! In 1990, they did really well and made it to the quarterfinals, but they lost to England in extra time. England went on to the semi-finals but lost again, which is a whole other story.

Cameroon is a country in Africa with over 25 million people and more than 250 different languages? But something really crazy happened there in 1986. In a place called Lake NEOS, there was a natural disaster called a limnic eruption. This was different from a regular volcanic eruption because it didn't have lava and smoke. Instead, it was a huge gas cloud that came out of the lake and caused a lot of damage. Sadly, around 1,800 people died and 3,500 people lost their homes and way of life. It was a really tragic event that people still talk about today.

Lake NEOS is a really deep lake that's on the side of a volcano that doesn't work anymore. It's part of a long line of volcanoes called The Cameroon line. Even though it might seem scary to live near a volcano, the land around them is really good for farming. That's why lots of people live near the volcano called Vesuvius near Naples. Even though it destroyed Pompeii and Herculaneum a long time ago, the soil is really good for growing tomatoes. And everyone knows that the best pizzas come from Italy, so it's worth it to live near a volcano!

Back in 1986, there were a lot of people living near Lake NEOS. They were farmers who grew crops and raised cattle. The Bathmen people had been living there for a long time and were some of the first settlers. They always built their houses on high ground above the lake, never below it. This was because of a local legend that said lakes can do strange things like move or even explode! Scholars think this legend came from events that happened a long time ago and were passed down through stories instead of being written down. If people had written these stories down, maybe they could have saved lives.

Hey, so there's this really dangerous thing happening under a lake. There's a big pocket of hot, melted rock called magma that's releasing gas. The gas is filling up the rocks around the magma and then seeping into the lake. This doesn't happen in many lakes, but it's happened in Lake Kivu in Africa and Lake Manoon in Cameroon. When the gas gets into the lake, it can build up in the lower layers of water. This can be really bad because if the upper and lower layers mix suddenly, it can cause a huge explosion. It's kind of like shaking up a bottle of soda or farting in the bathtub. It's really important to keep an eye on this kind of thing so we can stay safe!

Something really bad happened at Lake NEOS. But before that, something else happened. A few weeks earlier, all the fish in the lake died suddenly. People found their dead bodies floating on the surface. It turned out that there was too much carbon dioxide in the lake, which made it hard for the fish to breathe. Then, a few weeks later, there was an explosion.

We've been trying to figure out what caused a lot of carbon dioxide to suddenly come out of a lake. Maybe a big rock fell in and mixed up the water, or there was a small earthquake or volcano at the bottom of the lake. Even though no one felt any shaking, a lot of carbon dioxide came out - maybe as much as 1.6 million tons! When it happened, the gas shot up really fast and made a big cloud. People in the nearby village heard a loud noise and went outside to see what was happening.

Some people who survived said they saw a white mist coming out of the lake. But this mist was actually carbon dioxide, which is heavier than air. So, it quickly fell back down to the surface of the lake before spreading out like marbles on a glass. Within seconds, the gas cloud had left the lake and was rushing down the valley at a scary speed. It was so strong that it made people lose consciousness without them even realizing it. This invisible killer took the lives of both humans and animals. Even people who lived 15 miles away from the lake were affected. Only a few people were able to escape in time.

Even the people who were considered lucky during the volcanic eruption suffered from breathing problems, skin issues, and paralysis. There were other gases present, but the smell of rotten eggs was a sign of sulfur dioxide. However, it was the CO2 that caused the most harm. The next morning, there was no sound of birds or insects, only silence. People and animals were lying where they had fallen, and some survivors took more than a day to wake up. Many people thought it was the end of the world. Scientists from different countries were confused at first, but they eventually figured out that a volcano had erupted and released poisonous gases. A similar tragedy had happened before, but it wasn't fully understood at the time.

So, because of this lake called Lake NEOS where some really sad things happened. People lost their lives because of something called carbon dioxide. Scientists got really worried that it could happen again, so they came up with a plan to stop it. They made a device that would let the gas escape from the bottom of the lake through some tubes. At first, they had to pump water up through the tubes to make it work, but then the gas started to come out on its own and it kept drawing more water up with it. It's kind of like when you siphon gas out of a car (not that you should do that!). They installed three of these devices over the years, but now they only need one to keep the lake safe. So, don't worry, the people who live near Lake NEOS are safe from any more big, explosive farts from the lake. Thanks for listening!