August 15, 1984 Eruption of Oku Volcanic Field
Oku Volcanic Field in Cameroon erupted on August 15, 1984. The eruption killed 37 people. It caused a tsunami.
Where it erupted
Oku Volcanic Field, Cameroon, with its other significant eruptions.
The eruption
- Date
- August 15, 1984
- Volcano
- Oku Volcanic Field, maar
- Country
- Cameroon
- Killed by
- Gas (from eruptive craters, fumaroles and solfataras)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Location
- 6.250° N, 10.500° E
The toll
- Deaths
- 37
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
Lake Monoun. A white cloud in the vicinity of the lake at daybreak looked like typical fog, but contained CO2. Victims suffered vomiting, paralysis, and very rapid death. No eruption. (reference #9675)
On 15 August, 1984, a subaqueous landslide into the crater caused large-scale overturn of the lake and nucleation and effervescence of CO2 from deep waters. This is, to our knowledge, the first recorded lethal incident of its type and thus identifies a new natural hazard. (reference #13035)
Other significant eruptions of Oku Volcanic Field
More
Every eruption in 1984The 1900sOku Volcanic FieldEarthquakes near Oku Volcanic FieldThis day in weather history
Sources
Volcanoes and significant eruptions from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. Volcano numbers are the Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program’s. NCEI event 40.