1. Karachay Lake
After being used as a dumping site for radioactive waste for decades,
Lake Karachay, located in the southern Ural mountains in western
Russia, has become one of the most polluted spot in the world.
Spending just five minutes near the lake is enough to receive a deadly
radioactive dosis, while spending an hour there will probably kill you
within the next few hours. In 1968, during drought conditions, the wind
carried radioactive dust away from the lake’s dried area, irradiating
half a million people. The radiation was comparable to the effect of the
atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Another 7,000 people who lived in the
area were relocated.
Source: Wikipedia
2. Lake Rakshastal
Lake Rakshastal (left in the picture above) is a saltwater lake in
Tibet, lying close to the west of Lake Manasarovar. Named “lake of the
demon”, Lake Rakshastal produces no waterweeds or fish and the locals
consider it poisonous. It is considered to be the home of the ten-headed
demon king of Lanka in Hindu myth. Lake Manasarovar, shaped like the
sun, is regarded as ‘brightness’ in Buddhism, while Lake Rakshastal,
shaped as a crescent, represents ‘darkness’. However, despite its
notoriety, the lake bears no less beauty than other Tibetan lakes.
Source: Wikipedia
3. Boiling lake
Boiling lake in Dominica is actually a flooded fumarole (a crack
through which gases from molten lava escape), filled with superheated
bubbling water that is enveloped in a cloud of vapor. Since the lake is
the second largest hot spring on Earth with the water temperature of
82-91.5 Celsius (180-197 Fahrenheit) measured just at the edges, not
only it would be uncomfortable to swim in, it would kill you if you even
got near it. So far, scientists haven’t measured the temperature in the
center of the lake where the water actually boils.
Source: Wikipedia
4. Lake Monoun
Lake Monoun, that lies in the Oku Volcanic Field in Cameroon, is the
first of only three known cases of lake overturn. In 1984, the lake
exploded in a limnic eruption and released a cloud of deadly carbon
dioxide gas that killed 37 people. A truck carrying twelve people was in
the path of the gas and when the engine suddenly stopped working, the
people got out of the truck to see what was wrong and were all killed.
The only survivers in this accident were two persons riding on the top
of the truck as they were above the gas and could still breathe. Two
years later a similar event occurred at Lake Nyos, about 100 km away.
Source: Wikipedia
5. Lake Kivu, Rwanda
Situated on the borderline of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of
the Congo, Lake Kivu is one of the three known exploding lakes and is at
serious risk of violent lake overturns. The lake is considered deadly
because there are enormous quantities of dangerous gases dissolved in
layers beneath its surface – carbon dioxide (which has bubbled up from
the volcanic rock), and methane (about 55 billion cubic metres of it)
produced by bacteria on the lake bed. If the volcanic activity triggered
a methane explosion or release of suffocating carbon dioxide, this
could cause a disaster of monstrous proportions, since approximately two
million people live in the Lake Kivu’s basin.
Source: Wikipedia
6. Mount Rainier Crater Lake, Washington
Mount Rainier’s crater lake, the highest crater lake in North
America, lies beneath the ice in the west summit crater and it can only
be reached by following a network of ice caves in the craters. The water
in the crater lake creates sulfuric acid (sulfur dioxide combined with
the water) that is eating into the volcanic rock of Mount Rainier. Most
volcanic rocks you find anywere else in the world are strong, but in
parts of this mountain it can easily crumble in your hand. If the rock
were to collapse in any area, it would cause a slurry of mud, rock and
ice, or so called “lahars,” that can be deadly because of their energy
and speed, causing catastrophic destruction in their path. The collapse
of the rock would also breach the crater lake, letting loose tons of
water within it. Mount Rainier and it’s crater lake are considered a
serious threat to people in Seattle, which is only 87 km away from the
mountain.
Source: Wikipedia
7. Mono Lake, California, USA
Mono Lake, located in Mono County, California, is an ancient saline
lake that supports a unique and productive ecosystem. There are no fish
in the lake – it is home to trillions of brine shrimp and alkali flies.
Until the 1940′s, this stunning lake was healthy and strong, but during
the period from 1941 to 1990, Los Angeles diverted excessive amounts of
water from Mono Basin streams in order to provide water needs for the
growing city. As a consequence, Mono Lake dropped, lost half its volume,
doubled in salinity, and became a poisoned alkaline lake containing
carbonates, chlorides and sulfates. The Mono Lake Committee formed in
response, forced Los Angeles to partially restore the lake level but it
is estimated that it will take about 20 years to restore the health.
Source: Wikipedia
Horseshoe Lake, located near the City of Mammoth Lakes that is built on
top of an active volcano, is considered to be a silent killer. About 20
years ago, the trees
near the lake suddenly began to wither and die. At first, scientist
believed the trees had some kind of disease but later they discovered
the trees were getting too much carbon dioxide gas, seeping through the
soil from cooling chambers of magma. Yes, trees “breathe” carbon
dioxide, but high concentrations of carbon dioxide can be deadly even
for them. In 2006, three people were killed by carbon dioxide build up
in a cave close to Horseshoe Lake where they took shelter.
9. Yellowstone, USA
Researching fascinating Yellowstone Lake in Yellowstone National
Park, placed in the active volcanic region, scientists have found a new
way that crater lakes can kill. When they mapped the floor of
Yellowstone Lake, they discovered a dome (said to be the size of seven
football fields) on the bottom of the lake. The dome is caused by water
heated under the lake bed, which when expands, builds up pressure and
creates the dome. The scientists fear there is a real hazard of what is
known as “hydrothermal explosions.” Those explosions occur when water
that feeds the geysers of Yellowstone is explosively flashed to steam,
breaking rocks and throwing them into the air. In the history of
Yellowstone few large hydrothermal explosions occurred, some leaving
craters thousands of meters across the lake as well as in other areas of
the park. Although such an explosion last time occurred several
thousand years ago, it is said that even a small earthquake could be a
trigger for the similar one.
Source: Wikipedia
10. Lake Nyos, Cameroon
As I’ve already said, there are only three exploding lakes on Earth
and Lake Nyos in Cameroon is one of them. A pocket of magma that lies
beneath Lake Nyos leaks carbon dioxide into the water, changing it into
carbonic acid. In 1986, two years after Lake Monun exploded in a limnic
eruption, Lake Nyos, possibly triggered by a landslide, suddenly emitted
a huge cloud of carbon dioxide, which killed thousands of people and animals
in the area and nearby towns and villages. It was the first known
large-scale asphyxiation caused by a natural event. Today, the lake
still poses a threat because its natural wall is weak. If a geological
tremor were to cause this natural dike to give way, it would allow water
to rush into downstream villages all the way into Nigeria and would
allow much carbon dioxide to escape.
Source: Wikipedia
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