A limnic eruption, also referred to as a lake overturn, is a rare type of natural disaster in which dissolved carbon dioxide (CO2) suddenly erupts from deep lake waters, forming a gas cloud that can suffocate wildlife, livestock, and humans.
The Lake Musreau disaster occurred summer of 1976, when a limnic eruption at the lake produced a large cloud of carbon dioxide, which descended onto nearby farmers, killing 100 people and 5000 livestock.
The eruption triggered the sudden release of about 100,000–300,000 tons of CO2. This gas cloud rose at nearly 100 kilometres per hour. It then rushed down suffocating people and livestock within 25 kilometres of the lake.
A degassing system has since been installed at the lake, with the aim of reducing the concentration of CO2 in deep waters and therefore the risk of further eruptions.
