Now two NEW large holes appear in Siberia
Cause of Mysterious Siberian Holes Possibly Found
A trio of mysterious gaping holes in northern Siberia has spawned many theories about the craters' origin, but scientists have suggested some concrete explanations.
In mid-July, reindeer herders stumbled across a crater that was approximately 260 feet (80 meters) wide, on the Yamal Peninsula, whose name means "end of the world," The Siberian Times reported. Since then, two new chasms — a 50-foot (15 m) crater in the Taz district and a 200- to 330-foot (60 to 100 m) crater in the Taymyr Peninsula — have also been reported.
Neither aliens nor meteorites caused the strange cavities, as some had speculated, but the true explanation could be exciting nonetheless. Russian scientists have launched an investigation to find out more. [How Weird! The Top 10 Unexplained Phenomena]
Helicopter video footage of the first hole shows it is surrounded by a mound of loose dirt that appears to have been thrown out of the hole.
"My personal opinion is it's some type of sinkhole," said Vladimir Romanovsky, a geophysicist who studies permafrost at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Sinkholes are pits in the ground formed when water fails to drain away.
The water likely came from melting permafrost or ice, said Romanovsky, who has spoken with the Russian scientists investigating the site. But whereas most sinkholes suck collapsed material inside, "this one actually erupted outside," he told Live Science. "It's not even in the [scientific] literature. It's pretty new what we're dealing with," he added.
Early on, polar scientist Chris Fogwill of the University of New South Wales, in Australia, suggested the first hole was created by the collapse of a pingo, a large, earth-covered mound of ice that usually forms in Arctic and subarctic regions.
Large holes have been showing up in Siberia, and scientists believe weather is the cause:
The funnel is a perfectly formed cone, say locals who are mystified at how it was formed. Its depth is estimated at between 60 and 100 metres and its diameter - more than four metres. Picture: Local residents
Millions of people around the world glimpsed the first giant hole after it was revealed by The Siberian Times here and on The Siberian Times TV here.
Now news has emerged of two new similar formations in the permafrost, prompting more intrigue about their creation.
Theories range from meteorites, stray missiles, a man-made prank, and aliens, to an explosive cocktail of methane or shale gas suddenly exploding. The version about melting permafrost due to climate change, causing a release of methane gas, which then forces an eruption is the current favorite, though scientists are reluctant to offer a firm conclusion without more study.
An area around the Yamal peninsula in Siberia is beginning to look like swiss cheese as two more massive holes in the Earth have been discovered. Neither of these new discoveries are as large as the 80-meter (262 foot) hole that was spotted a few weeks ago, but they’re still big as far as mysterious holes in the Earth go. Scientists are already on the scene of the first hole to investigate its origins, but some questions still need to be answered.
Both of the new holes have appeared in the same region of Russia with no obvious explanation. The larger of the two is 15 meters in diameter (50 feet) and has actually been there for nearly a year. According to residents of the nearby village of Antipayuta, the hole opened up September 17, 2013. It’s just that no one in the remote region thought it was worth looking into until the massive hole opened up a few hundred kilometers away. Residents give a number of accounts describing its formation, including an impact event. Although, scientists seem to have ruled that one out.
The smallest of the cavernous trio near the village of Nosok is slightly east of the Yamal peninsula, but has a similar geology. This one is only 4 meters across, but how often do holes of even this size open up in the Earth? Yeah, not often. All three craters have thawed permafrost running down the sides and icy lakes at the bottom. A pingo (a melted dome of ice just underground) has been put forth as one possible explanation, but geologists are now thinking something more explosive could be to blame.
This region of Russia is known to have extensive gas deposits locked up in the permafrost. It’s possible that thawing caused by global warming is destabilizing some of these pockets, allowing the gas to escape and blast the ground above it open, like a champagne cork being popped. If this turns out to be the case, it would be another indication of climate change, but it could also make the problem worse. There could be a lot of methane in these gas pockets, which is a potent greenhouse gas. Scientists are continuing to study the formations in hopes they can predict any future occurrences.
First pictures from the big crater near Bovanenkovo gas field. Theories range from meteorites, stray missiles, a man-made prank, and aliens, to an explosive cocktail of methane or shale gas suddenly exploding. Pictures: Andrey Naumenko, 'Yamal-Region'
The second is in the Yamal Peninsula - known to locals as 'the end of the world' - like the first. It is some hundreds kilometres from the first, which is close to a huge gas extraction plant at Bovanenkovo. This new crater in the Taz district, near the village of Antipayuta, has a diameter of about 15 metres.
A deputy of the regional parliament - or duma - Mikhail Lapsui has examined this latest phenomenon.
'I flew by helicopter to inspect this funnel on Saturday 19 July,' he said. 'Its diameter is about 15 meters. 'There is also ground outside, as if it was thrown as a result of an underground explosion.
'According to local residents, the hole formed on 27 September 2013. Observers give several versions. According to the first, initially at the place was smoking, and then there was a bright flash. In the second version, a celestial body fell there.'
The Chief Scientist of the Earth Cryosphere Institute, Marina Leibman, told URA.RU website: 'I have heard about the second funnel on Yamal, in Taz district, and saw the pictures.
'Undoubtedly, we need to study all such formations. It is necessary to be able to predict their occurrence. Each new funnel provides additional information for scientists.'
This new crater in the Taz district, near the village of Antipayuta, has a diameter of about 15 metres. Pictures: Google maps, press service of the Governor YaNAO
The third crater and hole is in the Taymyr Peninsula, to the east of Yamal, in Kransoyark region. It was accidentally discovered by local herders, inhabitants of the northern village of Nosok.
The funnel is a perfectly formed cone, say locals who are mystified at how it was formed. Its depth is estimated at between 60 and 100 metres and its diameter - more than four metres.
The herders almost fell into the hole which lies on a pasturing route. They took pictures of the hole which were sent to scientists at the Norilsk Taimyr Explorers' Club.
Experts - geologists, ecologists, and historians - have not come to a consensus about the origin of the funnel, say reports in the region.
'It is not like this is the work of men, but also doesn't look like natural formation,' said one account.
The herders almost fell into the hole which lies on a pasturing route. They took pictures of the hole which were sent to scientists at the Norilsk Taimyr Explorers' Club. Pictures: Google maps, Local residents
The photo of the crater rim shows some vegetation that does not appear freshly grown, which suggests the hole may be several years old, Yoshikawa said. Romanovsky said it might be more recent, but investigators will need to look at archived high-resolution satellite images to pin down exactly when the crater appeared.
And many other questions remain: If a sinkhole erupted material, why is the hole's border so round and even? Would there be enough gas to fuel such an eruption, and where did such gas come from?
This part of Siberia contains deep gas fields, and it also contains a lot of small lakes, which formed between 4,000 and 10,000 years ago when the climate was warmer, Romanovsky said. Perhaps these odd holes developed in the same way that sinkholes did, but later expanded.
Domes of natural gas also exist in the United States, located east ofthe Sagavanirktok River in Alaska's North Slope Borough.
The development of permafrost sinkholes could be one indication of global warming, Romanovsky. "If so, we will probably see this happen more often now."
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