A new hydrogeochemical and geotectonical interpretation of the Lake Nyos disaster in Cameroon

Abstract

The gas eruption in Lake Nyos allows solely a deep inorganic origin of the CO2, and CO2 ascent along intersecting ruptures to be considered. Enormous gas volumes can be liberated from ascension paths with voids in the deep sections of the Earth's crust rather than from the water-dissolved phase (a lake) on the Earth's surface. In this case, rupture activity rather than volcanic activity should be involved. Similarly to volcanic activity, other events are also associated with open ruptures in the Earth's crust. No interrelations exist between the single phenomena. One of them consists in the ascent of CO2 with no relation to magma. Earthquakes, too, are associated with ruptures. Even a very slight tremor of the Earth's crust can contribute to the liberation of deepseated compressed CO2. However, disturbing the equilibrium of the water-column pressure and the compressed gas can result in an eruption even with no external impetus, e. g. an earthquake.