The Poroto Mountains are a mountain range in the Mbeya Region of Tanzania . They are located east of the city of Mbeya . The Poroto Mountains are a northwestward extension of the Kipengere Range , and part of the Southern Highlands . The Poroto mountains are volcanic in origin, part of the geological Rungwe Volcanic Province.
31-607: Ngozi or Ngosi (2621 m) is a volcanic caldera that contains Lake Ngozi , a crater lake. The northern rim of the caldera is the highest point in the Porotos. Ngozi and the southern slopes of the Porotos are among the rainiest places in Tanzania. The southern slopes are drained by the Kiwira River , which flows southwards into Lake Malawi . Poroto Ridge Forest Reserve (240.34 km) was established in 1937, and includes Ngozi and
62-415: A Limnic eruption ), while others claim that there is a twelve headed snake that protects the treasure and comes out to the surface on sunny days. Whether there ever was a treasure remains a mystery. Limnic eruption A limnic eruption , also known as a lake overturn , is a very rare type of natural hazard in which dissolved carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) suddenly erupts from deep lake waters, forming
93-405: A CO 2 concentration scale by taking air samples of the affected region. The Messel pit fossil deposits of Messel , Germany , show evidence of a limnic eruption there in the early Eocene . Among the victims are perfectly preserved insects , frogs , turtles , crocodiles , birds , anteaters , insectivores , early primates , and paleotheres . For a lake to undergo a limnic eruption,
124-581: A far more densely populated area, with over two million people living along its shores. The part within the Democratic Republic of the Congo is a site of active armed conflict and low state capacity for the DRC government, which impedes both studies and any subsequent mitigating actions. Lake Kivu has not reached a high level of CO 2 saturation yet; if the water were to become heavily saturated,
155-411: A gas cloud capable of asphyxiating wildlife , livestock , and humans . Scientists believe earthquakes , volcanic activity , and other explosive events can serve as triggers for limnic eruptions as the rising CO 2 displaces water. Lakes in which such activity occurs are referred to as limnically active lakes or exploding lakes . Some features of limnically active lakes include: Investigations of
186-563: A large tract of montane evergreen rainforest. Ngalijembe Forest Reserve (3.19 km) lies northeast of the Poroto Ridge reserve. 9°00′S 33°45′E / 9.000°S 33.750°E / -9.000; 33.750 This Mbeya Region location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This Africa mountain, mountain range, or peak related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Lake Ngozi Lake Ngozi (or Lake Ngosi )
217-501: A limnic eruption would pose a great risk to human and animal life, potentially killing millions. Two significant changes in Lake Kivu's physical state have brought attention to a possible limnic eruption: the high rates of methane dissociation and a rising surface temperature. Research investigating historical and present-day temperatures show Lake Kivu's surface temperature is increasing by about 0.12 °C per decade. Lake Kivu
248-650: Is estimated only one meromictic lake exists for every 1,000 holomictic lakes. Finally, a lake must be very deep in order to have sufficiently pressurized water that can dissolve large amounts of CO 2 . Once an eruption occurs, a large CO 2 cloud forms above the lake and expands to the surrounding region. Because CO 2 is denser than air, it has a tendency to sink to the ground, simultaneously displacing breathable air, resulting in asphyxia . CO 2 can make human bodily fluids highly acidic and potentially cause CO 2 poisoning . As victims gasp for air, they actually accelerate asphyxia by inhaling CO 2 . At Lake Nyos,
279-517: Is in close proximity to potential triggers: Mount Nyiragongo (an active volcano which erupted in January 2002 and May 2021), an active earthquake zone, and other active volcanoes. While the lake could be degassed in a manner similar to Lake Monoun and Lake Nyos, due to the size of Lake Kivu and the volume of gas it contains, such an operation would be expensive, running into the millions of dollars. A scheme initiated in 2010 to use methane trapped in
310-581: Is the second largest crater lake in Africa . It can be found near Tukuyu , a small town in the highland Rungwe District, Mbeya Region , of southern Tanzania in East Africa . It is part of the Poroto Mountains and the northern rim of the caldera is the highest point in the range. The caldera mostly composed from trachytic and phonolitic lavas. Ngozi is a Holocene caldera that generated
341-532: The Lake Monoun and Lake Nyos casualties led scientists to classify limnic eruptions as a distinct type of hazard event, even though they can be indirectly linked to volcanic eruptions. Due to the largely invisible nature of the underlying cause (CO 2 gas) behind limnic eruptions, it is difficult to determine to what extent, and when, eruptions have occurred in the past. The Roman historian Plutarch reports that in 406 BC, Lake Albano surged over
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#1732782424742372-456: The CO 2 comes out of solution and forms bubbles. The natural buoyancy of the bubbles draws the water up the pipe at high velocity resulting in a fountain at the surface. The degassifying water acts like a pump, drawing more water into the bottom of the pipe, and creating a self-sustaining flow. This is the same process which leads to a natural eruption, but in this case it is controlled by the size of
403-495: The CO 2 is dissolved in the water. In both lakes and soft drinks, CO 2 dissolves much more readily at higher pressure due to Henry's law . When the pressure is released, the CO 2 comes out of solution as bubbles of gas, which rise to the surface. CO 2 also dissolves more readily in cooler water, so very deep lakes can dissolve very large amounts of CO 2 since pressure increases, and temperature decreases, with depth. A small increase in water temperature can lead to
434-675: The Kitulo pumice 12,000 years ago during a Plinian eruption , most likely in the same eruption that generated the caldera. Other eruption deposits are the Ngozi Tuff (less than thousand years ago) and the Ituwa Surge base surge deposits of uncertain age, but intermediary to the Kitulo pumice and Ngozi Tuff. The youngest activity generated a pyroclastic flow that flowed southwards for 10 km around 1450 CE. Some pyroclastic cones surround
465-468: The following year a geothermal project would commence in the vicinity of the volcano halfway between Ngozi and the town of Mbeya . There are a number of local myths and folk tales which surround the volcanic lake, and the surrounding area. The Nyakyusa People (ethnic group in this area of Southern Tanzania) say that a shaman called Lwembe was chased from his birth village ( Ukwama in the Makete area) to
496-545: The gas cloud descended into a nearby village where it settled, killing nearly everyone; casualties as far as 25 km (16 mi) were reported. A change in skin color on some bodies led scientists to hypothesize the gas cloud may have contained dissolved acid such as hydrogen chloride , though this hypothesis is disputed. Many victims were found with blisters on their skin, thought to have been caused by pressure ulcers , which were likely caused by low blood oxygen levels in those asphyxiated by carbon dioxide. Nearby vegetation
527-425: The gas into the air and can displace enough water to form a tsunami . Limnic eruptions are exceptionally rare for several reasons. First, a CO 2 source must exist; regions with volcanic activity are most at risk. Second, the vast majority of lakes are holomictic (their layers mix regularly), preventing a buildup of dissolved gases. Only meromictic lakes are stratified , allowing CO 2 to remain dissolved. It
558-457: The killing power of the lake indicate a danger of limnic eruptions . The lake floor according to echosounding is flat and has no terraces. The lake does not undergo large scale fluctuations in lake level, with only minor differences between the dry and rainy seasons. Air temperatures above the lake are around 18 °C with only minor seasonal variations. Sporadically, the forests were occupied by Safwa hunters. Reports in 2013 stated that in
589-401: The much larger Lake Kivu , rests on the border between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda , and contains massive amounts of dissolved CO 2 . Sediment samples taken from the lake showed an event caused living creatures in the lake to go extinct around every 1,000 years, and caused nearby vegetation to be swept back into the lake. Limnic eruptions can be detected and quantified on
620-423: The pipe. Each pipe has a limited pumping capacity and several would be required for both Lake Monoun and Lake Nyos to degas a significant fraction of the deep lake water and render the lakes safe. The deep lake waters are slightly acidic due to the dissolved CO 2 which causes corrosion to the pipes and electronics, necessitating ongoing maintenance. There is some concern that CO 2 from the pipes could settle on
651-524: The release of a large amount of CO 2 . Once a lake is saturated, it is very unstable and it gives off a smell of rotten eggs and gunpowder, but a trigger is needed to set off an eruption. In the case of the 1986 Lake Nyos eruption, landslides were the suspected triggers, but a volcanic eruption, an earthquake , or even wind and rain storms can be potential triggers. Limnic eruptions can also be caused by gradual gas saturation at specific depths triggering spontaneous gas development. Regardless of cause,
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#1732782424742682-466: The same amount of gas that naturally enters at the lake bed. In January 2003, an 18-month project was approved to fully degas Lake Monoun, and the lake has since been rendered safe. There is some evidence that Lake Michigan in the United States spontaneously degasses on a much smaller scale each fall. Lake Kivu is not only about 1,700 times larger than Lake Nyos , but is also located in
713-674: The surface of the lake forming a thin layer of unbreathable air and thus potentially causing problems for wildlife. In January 2001, a single pipe was installed by the French-Cameroonian team on Lake Nyos, and two more pipes were installed in 2011 with funding support from the United Nations Development Programme . A pipe was installed at Lake Monoun in 2003 and two more were added in 2006. These three pipes are thought to be sufficient to prevent an increase in CO 2 levels, removing approximately
744-879: The surrounding hills, despite there being no rain nor tributaries flowing into the lake to account for the rise in water level. The ensuing flood destroyed fields and vineyards before eventually pouring into the sea. This event is thought to have been caused by volcanic gases, trapped in sediment at the bottom of the lake and gradually building up until suddenly releasing, causing the water to overflow. In recent history, this phenomenon has been observed twice. The first recorded limnic eruption occurred in Cameroon at Lake Monoun in 1984, causing asphyxiation and death of 37 people living nearby. A second, deadlier eruption happened at neighboring Lake Nyos in 1986, releasing over 80 million m of CO 2 , killing around 1,700 people and 3,000 livestock, again by asphyxiation. A third lake,
775-399: The trigger pushes gas-saturated water higher in the lake, where the reduced pressure is insufficient to keep gas in solution. The buoyancy from the resulting bubbles lifts the water even higher, releasing yet more bubbles. This process forms a column of gas, at which point the water at the bottom is pulled up by suction , and it too loses CO 2 in a runaway process. This eruption discharges
806-491: The volcano. The walls of the caldera are forested, with the exception of segments scoured by landslides and high cliffs that inhibit access to the water. The inner caldera is forested with Maesa lanceolata , Albizia gummifera and Hagenia abyssinica , far fewer tree species than neighbouring mountains consistent with the recent geological origin of the volcano. The caldera itself is not subjected to hydrothermal activity, but large subaqueous CO emissions and local legends of
837-478: The water must be nearly saturated with gas. CO 2 was the primary component in the two observed cases, Lake Nyos and Lake Monoun. In Lake Kivu's case, scientists, including lake physicist Alfred Johny Wüest, were also concerned about the concentrations of methane . CO 2 may originate from volcanic gas emitted from under the lake, or from decomposition of organic material. Before a lake becomes saturated, it behaves like an unopened carbonated soft drink :
868-527: The water, while casting their own spells. Since that time, the evils spell on the Lake has not returned. The most commonly heard myth and folk tale is that of a group of Colonial German soldiers who disposed of treasure into the waters of the lake. They put a spell on the Lake to protect the gold and hamper any other persons' efforts to reclaim it. Some variations of the myth suggest that this caused an emission of poisonous gasses (which we now know could be linked to
899-418: The waters of Lake Ngozi after the people had become weary of the deceptive nature of his magic. Once Lwembe became an inhabitant of the waters edge, the local tribe's cattle began to disappear. It is said that villagers started going missing too if they ventured too close to the waters. Nyakyusa elders dispelled the area by rolling a huge boulder which had been placed in the heart of a fire for three days into
930-428: The waters of these lakes in a controlled manner. The team positioned a pipe vertically in the lake with its upper end above the water surface. Water saturated with CO 2 enters the bottom of the pipe and rises to the top. The lower pressure at the surface allows the gas to come out of solution. Only a small amount of water must be mechanically pumped initially through the pipe to start the flow. As saturated water rises,
961-476: Was largely unaffected, except any growing immediately adjacent to the lake. There, vegetation was damaged or destroyed by a 24 m (79 ft) high tsunami caused by the violent eruption. Efforts are underway to develop a solution for removing the gas from these lakes and to prevent a build-up which could lead to another disaster. A team led by French scientist Michel Halbwachs began experimenting at Lake Monoun and Lake Nyos in 1990 using siphons to degas