In Siberia, there were two new huge craters

On the frozen land of Siberia, two mysterious yawning craters have recently appeared. This process was accompanied by a loud blast and a heaving smoke and fire.

Scientists decided to go to the area after the local reindeer breeder reported a huge explosion, a column of fire and black clouds of smoke on the Russian peninsula Yamal, the Siberian Times reported.

When craters formed

It is believed that one of the craters was formed at the beginning of this year, and the second - on the morning of June 28. The second explosion was so powerful that it was even recorded by seismic stations located in neighboring settlements and near a local gas field. The diameter of the new hole is about eight meters, and the depth is at least 20 meters.

The crater formed at a distance of 35 to 40 kilometers north-west of Seyahi (Siberia). This was told by the local reindeer breeder Mikhail Okoteto. Not far from the place of crater formation is the camp of reindeer breeder Jacob Wengo. Near the camp was a hill, and it was he who exploded. In the air flew huge blocks of land, as well as smoke and fire. As a result of the explosion, the hill disappeared.

Explosion of methane

Given the descriptions of eyewitnesses, local scientists view this incident as an explosion of methane. In many areas of the Arctic, methane was trapped in permafrost. Its melting - often due to natural processes that are exacerbated by human influence - allows this gas to "leak" outward. If methane accumulates underground, it can cause a buildup of pressure and ultimately lead to an explosion. In this case, it is not clear where the fire came from, although taking into account the light flammability of methane, it should not have been much.

"This plot of land was absolutely flat exactly two years ago, but in 2016 it grew and scientists saw a crack at this place," says Dr. Alexander Sokolov from the Russian Academy of Sciences. Nenets native inhabitants told scientists that they saw the fire in the winter of 2017, but this could mean January-March or even April. In other words, methane exploded when it was still snowing.

Similar explosions were previously recorded in Siberia and other parts of the Arctic. The results of a recent study, published in the journal Science, showed how parts of the Arctic seabed solidify in the craters that formed after the methane explosion.

Potential hazards

The release of methane is dangerous, not only because of the complexity of its prediction and explosiveness. It is believed that an increase in the amount of methane in the atmosphere has a dramatic effect on climate change. After all, it is a greenhouse gas, like CO ₂ .