In 1949, geologist Vadim Kolpakov discovered a large cone of limestone boulders in the north of the Irkutsk region, 360 km from the regional center of Bodaibo. The cone had an interesting and even funny shape: its top is crowned by a crater, in the center of which there is a hill about 12 meters high. The height of the entire embankment is about 40 meters, the width is 100 meters at the base, and the diameter along the ridge is 76 meters. It was decided to name the crater Patomsky by the name of the nearby river, but the locals call it "The Nest of the Fiery Eagle."
Since the discovery of the crater, new hypotheses have been constantly emerging, designed to shed light on the mystery of the origin of one of the most mysterious natural objects in the world.
Underground nuclear reaction hypothesis
Could it be a spontaneous nuclear reaction that caused an explosion in uranium deposits under the crater, which, by the way, was Kolpakov looking for? But, firstly, uranium deposits have not been discovered in the Patomsk Upland. And secondly, for a nuclear chain reaction in unrefined uranium ore, truly laboratory conditions are needed: a special ratio of uranium isotopes, free access of carbon, and many other factors. There is only one natural nuclear reactor in the world in the Gabonese Republic in Central Africa. The Oklo natural nuclear reactor has been operating for over two million years, and has not yet reached the critical mass required for a spontaneous explosion.
Meteorite fall hypothesis
It is on this version that the discoverer of the crater, Vadim Kolpakov, insists. Some go even further and connect the Patomsky crater with the famous Tunguska meteorite, whose remains have never been discovered. But the crater in its shape bears little resemblance to a funnel, which usually remains after the impact of a meteorite on the Earth. So this hypothesis had to be dismissed.
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Volcano birth hypothesis
The shape of the crater in the form of a frustoconical filled crater with steep slopes is characteristic of present-day volcanic edifices. A good example of such a structure is the Karymsky volcano in Kamchatka. However, the Patomsky crater is located too far from the areas of the so-called active Quaternary volcanism, and there is no longer a trace of volcanic material nearby.
Extraterrestrial interference hypothesis
After conducting a dendrochronological analysis of the trees growing on the crater, scientists have found that the age of the crater is about 500 years or more. But at the same time, another interesting feature of the crater, already shrouded in mysticism, came to light. Larches growing around the crater grew at an accelerated rate. This has already been observed in the forests in the exclusion zone after the disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. This fact immediately led to the emergence of the hypothesis of burial under the crater of a UFO with a supply of nuclear fuel on board. However, no metal-bearing objects were found under the crater.
Gas volcano hypothesis
Later research work on the crater finally gave a more or less suitable explanation. The crater appeared as a result of the processes of freezing and thawing of rocks, similar to the cryovolcano on Jupiter's moon Io. Groundwater, which was in a concentrated form, froze over during the entire Little Ice Age, the peak of which occurred just in the middle of the 17th century (i.e. about 500 years ago). The processes caused by the seasonal thawing of ice and the pressure of the rocks provoked a destructive water hammer, which scattered limestone blocks like children's cubes, which led to the formation of a crater. All the energy accumulated by the water burst out and was partially transferred to the larch trees growing around, stimulating their accelerated growth. The hypothesis of cryogenic origin has shed light on many, but by no means all, mysteries.associated with the Patomsky crater. Whether we ever find out the true reason for the emergence of such an unusual natural object as the Patomsky crater depends only on future research.