Outbursts of a large volume of carbon dioxide took place on 21 August 1986 at Lake Nyos, Cameroon, leading more than 1700 lives to death by asphyxiation. Geochemical and limnological survey made some 50 days after the disaster revealed that the lake water was still stratified with respect to temperature, chemistry and density except a very surface layer. The dissolved species were overwhelmingly dominated by CO
2 (aq) and HCO
3- with a substantial concentration of Fe
2+ in deep waters. Stable isotopic compositions of carbon (δ
13C=-3‰) and helium (5.7 times the atmospheric
3He/
4He ratio) strongly indicate a mantle origin of the gases. Very low concentrations of Cl
- and SO
42- argue against the volcanic gas injection hypothesis as a cause of the disaster. The gas bursts were caused by outgassing of CO
2-laden deep water which was displaced upward and effervesced near the surface, possibly triggered by an increased input rate of warmer, CO
2-charged groundwater from the bottom during the rainy season.
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