Massive craters about 100 feet deep and 20 meters wide have been spotted in Siberia, CNN reports.
- A Russian TV crew flying over the Siberian tundra noticed the holes.
- Scientists don’t know what created the huge holes. But the recent spotting is the ninth one found since 2013.
What causes the holes?
Initial theories — which came out after one hole was discovered in the Yamal Peninsula in northwest Siberia — included “a meteorite impact, a UFO landing and the collapse of a secret underground military storage facility,” CNN reports.
- Scientists now think the giant hole is connected to a blowup of methane gas, which would be the result of warming temperatures in the area.
- “Warming and thawing of surface soil weakens the frozen ‘cap,’ resulting in the blowout that causes the craters,” Sue Natali, Arctic program director at Woodwell Climate Research Center, told Gizmodo.
Why this hole is different
However, according to The Daily Express, researchers remain confused because the hole looks like something exploded outwards rather than collapsing inwards.
View Comments
Scientist Dr. Evgeny Chuvilin, a leading researcher at Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, said the hole’s quick creation is also a mystery, according to The Daily Express.
- “These are the colossal forces of nature that create such objects. The frost heaving that precedes a crater usually happens quite quickly, over one to two years, and this sudden growth is hard to observe, so almost all craters were discovered after everything had already happened.”