Question

What was unusual about the 1986 volcano-related disaster near Lake Nyos in Cameroon? A. A volcanic eruption involved a lateral blast of volcaniclastic debris that no one anticipated. B. Pyroclastic flows buried surrounding villages, reminiscent of Pompeii ~1,900 years earlier. C. Volcanically derived carbon dioxide gas bubbled from the lake and suffocated people and animals nearby. D. A slurry of lava and lake water flowed rapidly outward from the lake and buried surrounding villages.

Answer 1

The correct answer is - C. Volcanic derived carbon dioxide gas bubbled from the lake and suffocated people and animals nearby.

In the summer of 1986, more specifically on the August 21st, a big tragedy happened in Cameroon. The Lake Nyos, located in the northwestern part of the country experienced a limnic eruption. This eruption triggered the release of very large amounts of carbon dioxide from the lake. The exact amount of carbon dioxide that was released is debatable, and the general consensus is that it was between 100,000 and 300,000 tons of the gas, though there are suggestions that it was up to 1.6 million tons.

The gas spread around very quickly, and being heavier than the air it stuck very low. In a radius of around 25 km from the lake, lot of people and animals were suffocated. The estimates are that 1746 people died and around 3,500 livestock died, not even counting the damage that has been done to the wild animals.

Answer 2

Answer:

C. Volcanically derived carbon dioxide gas bubbled from the lake and suffocated people and animals nearby.

Explanation:

   On August 21, 1986, one of the strangest and most mysterious natural disasters in history occurred at Lake Nyos, formed on top of a volcanic crater in northwestern Cameroon.

    Unexpectedly, the lake released thousands of tons of toxic carbon dioxide. The lethal cloud silently spread across the field at nearly 100 km / h, suffocating approximately 1,746 people and more than 3,500 head of cattle in a few minutes.

    Many people in the villages of Cha, Nyos and Subum were silently asphyxiated in their sleep. Some were found with blood around their noses and mouths. When the few survivors woke up, they found no disturbance, no violence, only dead bodies. Even the flies dropped dead.