Scientists have put forward a new theory of the origin of a crater with a diameter of 30 meters on the Yamal Peninsula. According to this version, the appearance of the funnel is associated with the anomalous heat of 2013 and 2014. During this period, the temperature exceeded the average level by 5 ° C.
According to scientists, the abnormal heat led to the thawing of permafrost and the release of jets of methane gas, previously trapped in space in the frozen ground. This theory is confirmed by the study of a geological expedition led by an archaeologist of the Scientific Center for the Study of the Arctic in Salekhard Andrei Plekhanov.
In July 2014, the members of this expedition discovered that the concentration of methane at the bottom of the crater is many times higher than the norm. But in order to finally confirm the hypothesis about the melting of the glacier, Plekhanov's expedition must once again conduct experiments in the Siberian crater and measure the concentration of methane.
According to Plekhanov and his colleagues, rising temperatures in the region and melting glaciers may make craters more common in permafrost regions. According to him, Siberian reindeer herders have recently discovered a similar hole in the ground near the Yamal crater.
Previously, a number of theories of the origin of the crater have been put forward, including gas explosions, a meteorite fall and even alien activity. A number of scientists adhere to the version according to which global warming became the cause of the appearance of the mysterious funnel. In their opinion, two hot summer seasons are not enough to melt the permafrost.
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