This Lake Looks Calm But Holds Dark Secrets

Bright Side

A limnic eruption, or lake overturn, is a super rare natural disaster where a lake suddenly releases a huge bubble of dissolved carbon dioxide (CO2) from its depths. This gas cloud can suffocate wildlife, livestock, and even people nearby. It happens when volcanic activity or a landslide disturbs the deep, CO2-rich water, causing it to rapidly rise and release the gas. Recognizing an impending limnic eruption can be tricky, but signs might include unusual lake bubbling, dead fish, or a sudden change in the lake's color. And if you see it, you'd better stay away from it.     Preview photo credit:  Dan Keck / Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/140641142@N05/45496271361/ Animation is created by Bright Side.  Credit:  CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/:  Edmund Fitzgerald: by Greenmars, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Edmund_Fitzgerald,_1971,_3_of_4_(restored;_cropped).jpg  Rakshas Tal: by Axel Ebert/axelebert.net, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rakshas_Tal_06.jpg  CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/:  Monoun: by Prosper Mekem, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Monoun.jpg   LS-MetOp-B: by Sasha1250, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:LS-MetOp-B.png  RetbaLakeShore: by Jjm2311, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:RetbaLakeShore.jpg  Animation is created by Bright Side.   ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Music by Epidemic Sound https://www.epidemicsound.com   Check our Bright Side podcast on Spotify and leave a positive review! https://open.spotify.com/show/0hUkPxD34jRLrMrJux4VxV   Subscribe to Bright Side: https://goo.gl/rQTJZz  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our Social Media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brightside  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brightside.official TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brightside.official?lang=en   Stock materials (photos, footages and other): https://www.depositphotos.com https://www.shutterstock.com https://www.eastnews.ru ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  For more videos and articles visit: http://www.brightside.me

Transcript

00:00 The tranquil-looking Lake Manoun in Cameroon is one real trickster.

00:05 At first, it may seem calm and peaceful, but this lake is like a fiery volcano waiting

00:11 to erupt at any moment.

00:14 And it doesn't even have the decency to give any warning signs.

00:18 Its last outburst was way back in 1984, which caused a bang that left everyone in awe.

00:25 It's like the lake's got a soda can mechanism down there, or in technical terms, it experiences

00:31 a limnic eruption.

00:34 This rare phenomenon happens when gas from deep under the water suddenly erupts.

00:40 Certain things have to happen prior for it to occur though.

00:43 There are some things you can look out for if you feel worried.

00:46 For starters, if the vegetation around a lake looks a bit flattened, it might have previously

00:52 experienced a limnic eruption.

00:55 That's because the water can pop up with a lot of pressure and overflow.

01:00 The water being a bit warmer all of a sudden can also mean you need to head to safety.

01:08 There's this lake in Kazakhstan that looks like a total disaster on the surface, with

01:13 empty tree trunks sticking out of the water.

01:16 Not cute.

01:18 But if you're feeling daring and want to take a swim, you'll be transported to a whole new

01:23 world.

01:24 That story goes back to the year 1911, when there was a landslide that filled the valley

01:30 with rainwater, completely submerging a local forest.

01:35 As mesmerizing as it might sound, it's no easy task to dive in.

01:40 The water is freezing, and all the algae, plants, and submerged trees make it a risky

01:46 obstacle course.

01:49 Have you heard about this scorching lake on the sunny Caribbean island of Dominica?

01:54 The water around the edges is at a sweltering 180 to 197 degrees Fahrenheit.

02:02 No wonder no one has the guts to measure the middle.

02:06 It's that hot.

02:07 Sure, the heat may go down once in a while, but who knows when those waters will start

02:12 boiling again.

02:14 Plus, this place is full of nasty gases like carbon dioxide.

02:20 Because of them, let's just say it doesn't exactly smell like roses.

02:24 More like rotten eggs.

02:26 So unless you want to end up looking like a boiled lobster, I suggest you stay away

02:31 from these waters.

02:34 If you're planning a trip to Tanzania, you might want to think twice before diving into

02:39 Natron Lake.

02:40 Sure, it's got a beautiful reddish hue, but that's thanks to some bacteria that

02:45 call this lake home.

02:47 And don't even get me started on the pH levels.

02:50 They're so high they might even strip the color off your swimsuit.

02:55 But hey, at least the flamingos like it there.

02:58 Those acid-loving birds are living their best lives in a group with 2.5 million of their

03:03 closest feathered friends.

03:06 How come these birds manage to thrive there, you might wonder.

03:09 Well, no predators means no stress, which equals easy breeding.

03:14 They also love feasting on that fancy bacteria which makes the water all pink.

03:21 You may think that Belize's Great Blue Hole is just calling out to you with its stunning

03:26 blue hues and close proximity to land.

03:30 But hold your flippers, because there's a catch.

03:32 Sure, it's about 900 feet across and 300 feet deep, but lurking beneath the surface

03:38 is a confusing pattern of tunnels filled with coral and wildlife.

03:44 It's like finding your way through a maze at a theme park, but with more fish.

03:49 And as if that wasn't tricky enough, the deeper you go, the fewer creatures you'll

03:53 encounter.

03:54 Why, you ask?

03:56 Well, it turns out that there's a sneaky layer of hydrogen sulfide that covers the

04:01 entire width of the hole, depriving any living creature of oxygen.

04:07 Imagine on heading to the Devil's Kettle Waterfall in Minnesota.

04:12 This one won't necessarily be dangerous for you, but you might end up losing some

04:16 of your stuff out there if you don't pay attention.

04:19 That's because this waterfall experiences a phenomenon that's a real head-scratcher

04:25 for geologists.

04:27 One part of the waterfall flows normally, while the other part disappears into a big

04:32 ol' hole.

04:33 And get this, not even ping pong balls can make it out.

04:38 Scientists decided to investigate, and they went all out, even using GPS trackers.

04:43 Initially, they couldn't figure it out until they realized that the hole acts like a giant

04:49 blender.

04:50 That water is getting spun around so hard, it's basically obliterating everything in

04:55 its path.

04:57 They finally measured the water volume and saw that it was still there, so it was supposed

05:02 to come back out somewhere.

05:04 The most likely explanation is that the water is probably re-emerging in the stream located

05:10 beneath the waterfall.

05:12 You've surely heard of the Bermuda Triangle.

05:16 I mean, that's old news.

05:18 But let me tell you about the Pacific's very own watery trap called the Devil's Sea.

05:24 It's like a game of hide and seek, but with ships.

05:27 They disappear and we can never find them again.

05:30 The Kaio-Maru No. 5 was on a mission to investigate a volcanic island, but the trip ended up being

05:37 just one way.

05:39 Add a dash of detective work to the subject and you'll find out the whole story about

05:44 the Devil's Sea is more myth and less fact, but it doesn't make it any less interesting.

05:51 If you're still interested in some mysterious ship disappearance, then Lake Superior is

05:56 the place you'll want to read about.

05:59 Even the most skilled scuba divers can't find a single piece of all those lost vessels.

06:05 The main character of this lake's story was a ship called the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, the

06:11 biggest one to sink in the Great Lakes.

06:15 To this day, people aren't sure why it sank.

06:20 So you're planning a little swim in one of the Great Lakes, huh?

06:24 Well, might want to steer clear of Lake Michigan, unless you're really into extreme water

06:28 sports.

06:30 This bad boy has a reputation for being the most dangerous of the bunch, thanks to some

06:35 sneaky undercurrents that like to snatch unsuspecting swimmers.

06:40 Make sure to watch out for those pesky piers and docks that only add to the lake's swimming

06:46 difficulty.

06:47 If you're feeling adventurous, you might want to skip the months of October or November.

06:53 This is when the temperatures start to drop and the currents get extra wild.

06:59 Tibet has its dangerous lake too, and at first glance, it's gorgeous.

07:04 But don't get too excited.

07:06 It's got a salt content so high that nothing can survive in it.

07:10 Some villagers around there actually consider it to be tainted with some sort of substance.

07:16 The cherry on top?

07:17 Other locals believe there's a selfish creature living in the lake who's hogging up all the

07:22 space for itself.

07:23 No wonder its nickname is "Darkness."

07:28 No list of dangerous waters is complete without Lake Victoria, the big kahuna of African lakes

07:34 and the third biggest in the whole wide world.

07:38 But beware, not all its waters are safe for us humans.

07:42 Some regions can be real troublemakers, because this lake has its own personal climate.

07:48 And what does that mean?

07:50 Mostly that you can't trust the weather here one bit.

07:54 You could be soaking up some sweet rays one second, and the next you're running from a

07:59 torrential downpour.

08:01 Unless you want to be caught swimming in a storm, steer clear of this moody lake.

08:07 You might have already seen pictures of Lake Hillier.

08:11 It's like a giant pool of grapefruit juice in Australia.

08:15 Scientists have been scratching their heads over it for centuries because they still can't

08:19 figure out with certainty why it's pink.

08:23 But here's the kicker, it's not the only one.

08:26 Yep, there's another pink lake out there called Lake Retba.

08:30 Both of these lakes have super high salt content, which is apparently a magnet for some fancy

08:36 microorganisms.

08:38 These little guys produce beta-carotene, you know, the substance that's in carrots.

08:43 And that's what gives these lakes their groovy colors.

08:47 Interested in swimming in this lake?

08:49 It's not technically dangerous because the water has such high amounts of salt in it.

08:54 There are no scary sea creatures to worry about.

08:57 But on the other hand, you'll need to make sure you don't accidentally take a sip.

09:02 Drinking highly salted water will make you dehydrate faster than a plant in the desert.

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