Giant hole appears at 'the end of the world' in Siberia
Scientists are being sent to Yamal to discover what caused the 80m
crater
A mysterious crater has appeared at the "end of the world" in
Siberia, leaving a pit 80m wide and so deep it has not yet been
measured.
Researchers are being dispatched to investigate the hole, which has
confounded scientists with its dramatic appearance. Some have speculated
it could have been made by a meteorite striking earth, an underground
explosion, or is a sink-hole caused by collapsing rock.
|
The mysterious giant hole in Siberia |
One imaginative online commenter claimed it could even be evidence
"of the arrival of a UFO craft" to the planet. The area's name, Yamal,
translates as the "end of the world" and the remote peninsula reaches
into the Arctic Ocean.
It holds some of Russia's largest gas reserves and the crater
appeared less than 20 miles from the biggest gas field, Bovanenkovo.
The dark colour of the crater's sides was said in a Zvezda TV report
to indicate "temperature processes" or burning. Whatever caused it, it
is large enough to comfortably fit several military helicopters in the
entrance.
Experts from the Centre for the Study of the Arctic and the
Cryosphere Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences will take
samples of soil, air and water.
Initial reports about the phenomenon were dismissed as fakes but
evidence has proved its existence for the past two years. Anna
Kurchatova, from the Sub-Arctic Scientific Research Centre, told the
Siberian Times global warming could be a cause.
She believes the hole was formed by a mixture of water, salt and gas,
igniting an underground explosion. The gas had accumulated in ice mixed
with sand beneath the surface of what was a sea 10,000 years ago, and
ignited when the permafrost melted "like popping a champagne bottle",
she said. If her analysis is correct, another explosion could have
worrying implications for the many underground gas pipelines running
through the region.
The nearby Bovanenkovo field is of central importance to gas supplies
from Siberia to the world.
Yamal is also known for its huge reindeer herds, which are managed by
the indigenous Nenets.
- The Independent |
