 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (February 2013) |
| Lake Monoun | |
|---|---|
 A Landsat 7 satellite image | |
  Lake Monoun  Lake Monoun | |
| Coordinates | 5°35′N 10°35′E / 5.583°N 10.583°E |
| Type | Meromictic, limnically active lake, volcanic crater lake |
| Basin countries | Cameroon |
| Max. length | 1.6 km (0.99 mi) |
| Max. width | 0.7 km (0.43 mi) |
| Surface area | 0.31 km2 (0.12 sq mi) |
| Max. depth | 99 m (325 ft) |
Lake Monoun is a crater lake (maar) in West Province, Cameroon, that lies in the Oku Volcanic Field. On August 15, 1984, a limnic eruption occurred at the lake, which resulted in the release of a large amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) that killed 37 people. At first, the deaths remained unexplained, and causes such as terrorism were suspected. Further investigation and a similar event two years later at Lake Nyos led to the currently accepted explanation.[1]
- ^ Kusakabe, Minoru (2017-04-07). "Lakes Nyos and Monoun Gas Disasters (Cameroon) — Limnic Eruptions Caused by Excessive Accumulation of Magmatic CO2 in Crater Lakes" (PDF). Geochemistry Monograph Series. 1 (1): 1–50. doi:10.5047/gems.2017.00101.0001. Retrieved 2022-01-26. p. 7:
Lake Monoun experienced a gas burst on 15 August 1984, that killed 37 people by asphyxiation. [..] It was found in a later survey that vegetation at the east end of the lake was flattened, indicating that the water wave locally reached up to 5 m high, and that the color of the lake water changed to a reddish brown.