By Megan Tracey, Source: Treehugger

Lake Kivu, which sits on the border of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, lies above Africa’s continental rift zone, a geologically active region where Earth’s tectonic plates are very slowly being pulled apart. That activity has lead to a large buildup of dissolved methane and carbon dioxide in the deep waters of the lake, but plans are in place to start pumping the gas out of the lake to generate electricity — enough to double Rwanda’s current electricity capacity.

Phys.org reports, “Levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane are large and dangerous enough to risk a sudden release that could cause a disastrous explosion, after which waves of CO2 would suffocate people and livestock around,” explained Matthew Yalire, a researcher at the Goma Volcano Observatory, on the lake’s DR Congo shore.

“Right now the lake is stable, but for how long?” asked Yalire, explaining that extracting the gas could help stabilize the lake and avoid an explosion.

Read the rest at: Treehugger