Large Crater Appears At The End of The World - Siberia

[rgray222]

Mysterious 'gigantic' hole in remote region spotted by helicopters over gas-rich Yamal peninsula.

Source - Siberiantimes.com - additional photos (http://siberiantimes.com/other/others/features/large-crater-appears-at-the-end-of-the-world/)

The striking puncture in the earth is believed to be up to 80 metres wide but its depth is not estimated yet. A scientific team has been sent to investigate the hole and is due to arrive at the scene on Wednesday.

http://siberiantimes.com/PICTURES/OTHERS/Giant-crater-Yamal/inside%20from%20the%20left.jpg
The crater is large enough for several Mi-8 helicopters to fly into it. Picture: Konstantin Nikolaev

The cause of its sudden appearance in Yamal - its name means the 'end of the world' in the far north of Siberia - is not yet known, though one scientific claim is that global warming may be to blame.

There is additionally speculation it could be caused by a space object - perhaps a meteorite - striking earth or that it is a sinkhole caused by collapsing rock beneath the hole caused by as yet unknown factors.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kMs05VaOfE[/CENTER][/CENTER]
The giant hole appeared close to a forest some 30 kilometres from Yamal's biggest gas field Bovanenkovo. Experts are confident that a scientific explanation will be found for it and that it is not - as one web claim suggested - evidence 'of the arrival of a UFO craft' to the planet.

A report and footage highlighted by Zvezda TV says the dark colour of the crater indicates 'some temperature processes', without explaining more what they may mean. Others say that the darkening around the inner rim indicates its formation was accompanied by severe burning scorching the edges.

Some observers believe water or dry soil is seen falling into the cavity.

There is agreement that soil around the hole was thrown out of the crater, large enough for several Mi-8 helicopters to fly into it - not that they have.

The expedition organised by the Yamal authorities includes two experts from the Centre for the Study of the Arctic and one from Cryosphere Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences. They plan to take samples of soil, air and water from the scene.

They will be accompanied by a specialist from the Emergencies Ministry.

A spokesman for the ministry's Yamal branch ruled out a meteorite but said it was too early to say what cause the gigantic hole in the earth.

'We can definitely say that it is not a meteorite. No details yet,' said a spokesman.

Initial reports and images were suspected to be fakes, but the hole is a real phenomenon and it is believed to have been formed around two years ago.

Engineer Konstantin Nikolaev from Yugra is one of those to have filmed it from a helicopter.

http://siberiantimes.com/PICTURES/OTHERS/Giant-crater-Yamal/inside%20the%20closest%20up.jpg
Initial reports and images were suspected to be fakes, but the hole is a real phenomenon and it is believed to have been formed around two years ago.

Anna Kurchatova from Sub-Arctic Scientific Research Centre thinks the crater was formed by a water, salt and gas mixture igniting an underground explosion, the result of global warming. She postulates that gas accumulated in ice mixed with sand beneath the surface, and that this was mixed with salt - some 10,000 years ago this area was a sea.

Global warming, causing an 'alarming' melt in the permafrost, released gas causing an effect like the popping of a Champagne bottle cork, she suggests.

Given the gas pipelines in this region such a happening is potentially dangerous.

The Yamal Peninsula in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug is a strategic oil and gas bearing region of Russia.

It is Russia's main production area for gas and the Bovanenkovo field is of central importance to gas supplies from Siberia to the world.

The gas field was discovered in 1972 and developed by Gazprom starting production in 2012. The Yamal peninsula is bordered by the Kara Sea - Baydaratskaya Bay - to the west, and the Gulf of Ob on the east. It extends some 700 kilometres over mainly permafrost.

The area is famous for its reindeer herds and migratory birds.

The Nenets and Khanty reindeer herders hold about half a million domestic reindeer.

The remains of ancient woolly mammoths have been found in this enchanting territory.

[WhiteFeather]

Hey that hole looks like a nice final resting place for the body of supposedly recently dead Ex Pres. Pappa George Bush. That hole looks like it goes straight to Hell. Nice Thread.

[linksplatinum]

A collapsed tunneling system to Agartha perhaps, who knows? We've heard of those deep passage ways that ancients would travel through eons ago?

[ghostrider]

What is very interesting to me , these types of shifting/openings have perfect sides , mostly circles , how does nature make such smooth sides ??? When we dig , it's always messy and imperfect ...

[Snoweagle]

That crater was caused by a satellite electromagnetic weapon system. This appears to be a test.

That was not caused by natural causes.

[Wind]

That crater was caused by a satellite electromagnetic weapon system. This appears to be a test.

That was not caused by natural causes.

I am intrigued by this statement, any sources? The Atlanteans had a a device called "Death Ray", it was crystal based technology and they knew how to amplify the rays coming from the Sun. However, the effects were similar and very destructive... Cayce predicted that in the 50's the US government would discover the technology and I assume that they indeed did and reverse engineered it.

http://www.zoharaonline.com/the-pentagon-and-cayces-atlantis-death-ray/

[Snoweagle]

I am intrigued by this statement, any sources? The Atlanteans had a a device called "Death Ray", it was crystal based technology and they knew how to amplify the rays coming from the Sun. However, the effects were similar and very destructive... Cayce predicted that in the 50's the US government would discover the technology and I assume that they indeed did and reverse engineered it.

http://www.zoharaonline.com/the-pentagon-and-cayces-atlantis-death-ray/

Forget the Atlanteans and Cayce and everybody else, these obfuscate the focus of the mind and will cause the reader to spin around in circles endlessly.

All cosmic entities have a "onion" rings of scalar or vortex energies. Immense values beyond our comprehension.
Clouds in the sky are condensate, exactly the same as you find when opening a freezer on a warm day. Clouds are influenced by neighbouring energy around them (above and below) and the impact of rising energies from the landmass (or human activity)
Flora and Fauna produce scalar or vortex energy that emit into our environment that produces our atmosphere. Photosynthesis is NOT a chemical or biological process but an energy process. These activities charge and create our atmosphere.
Further out where the various satellites whizz around the scalar potential is greater still. Somewhere out there, I believe, are satellites that are broadcasting, from there locations, a small signal (a beam) which when in contact with the planetary environment can wreak havoc. This is what I believe the cause of this hole in Siberia. Across the world, these huge great pot holes are appearing and I believe them to be used to threaten Governments into towing the line. The satellites masquerade as "communication" devices of which there are many genuine devices, just some more dedicated to specialist activities than others.

A weapon that causes that level of damage would quite rightly be called a "death ray" I suppose:-)

Stop depending on the written words of the past, whilst immensely interesting they are riddled with obfuscation and misdirection.

[778 neighbour of some guy]

A collapsed tunneling system to Agartha perhaps, who knows? We've heard of those deep passage ways that ancients would travel through eons ago?

Or some obscenely rich douchebag just ordered the largest game of "Whack a Mole" ever and construction has just begun, someone please check the interwebz for a dude who ordered a ginormous rubber hammer.

[yelik]

The earth is hollow after all

[Kano]

The pit of carkoon is real? :cool:

[Centauri]

Looks to me like something came out of the ground slowly, or rather, slower than an explosion. The displacement of dirt around the hole seems gentle. When I first saw it, I was reminded of that drill tank in Total Recall but the tank would have to be the size of a football field or two. hehhe

[MargueriteBee]

Isn't there an underground river? Perhaps it wore away the ground above it when it sunk. Just a sinkhole.

[Centauri]

Sinkhole is the easy explanation. The weird thing about this is the ring of dirt around it and the discoloration of the dirt on the interior slope, if I'm understanding this correctly.

[DeDukshyn]

Looks to me like something came out of the ground slowly, or rather, slower than an explosion. The displacement of dirt around the hole seems gentle. When I first saw it, I was reminded of that drill tank in Total Recall but the tank would have to be the size of a football field or two. hehhe

Exactly what I saw as well. It is not a sinkhole -- those sink into the ground. This has huge piles of earth all around it, yet not spread any distance as you would find from a meteor impact, it's definitely not that unless the meteor was moving 50 miles an hour or something and still continued to penetrate the earth. It most certainly does look like something came out of the earth, or at least an underground weapons test of some type, perhaps some strange eruption?

Interesting.

[Hervé]

First pictures from inside the 'crater at the end of the world' (http://siberiantimes.com/science/casestudy/news/first-pictures-from-inside-the-crater-at-the-end-of-the-world/)

By Anna Liesowska 17 July 2014

Experts examine the newly-discovered hole in the earth in Siberia.


http://siberiantimes.com/upload/information_system_38/1/5/6/item_1567/information_items_1567.jpg (http://siberiantimes.com/science/casestudy/news/first-pictures-from-inside-the-crater-at-the-end-of-the-world/)
The crater has an icy lake at its bottom with water cascading down its eroding permafrost walls. Picture: Andrey Naumenko, 'Yamal-Region'


The crater on the Yamal Peninsula was caused by aliens, a meteorite, a stray missile, or an explosive gas cocktail released due to global warming, according to various theories in recent days.

Images of the remarkable phenomenon have gone round the world since The Siberian Times highlighted helicopter images of the giant hole earlier this week.

The first expedition to the scene - the scientists have just returned - took these epic pictures of the hole, including the darkening pattern on the inner rim.

Now they are using Russian satellite pictures to fix the moment when it suddenly formed.

They found the crater - around up to 70 metres deep - has an icy lake at its bottom, and water is cascading down its eroding permafrost walls.

It is not as wide as aerial estimates which suggested between 50 and 100 metres.


http://siberiantimes.com/PICTURES/SCIENCE/Yamal-crater-July-2014/inside%20good%20gv.jpg



http://siberiantimes.com/PICTURES/SCIENCE/Yamal-crater-July-2014/inside%20sides%20of%20the%20crater.jpg



http://siberiantimes.com/PICTURES/SCIENCE/Yamal-crater-July-2014/inside%20stripy%20permafrost.jpg

The first scientific expedition has just returned from the site, now the experts are working with satellite pictures to fix the moment when the crater has formed. Pictures: Marya Zulinova, press service of the Governor YaNAO

While the team insist that it is a 'natural phenomenon', they insist further study is essential to understanding the formation of the crater in lake-studded Yamal - a name which means 'end of the world' in the local tongue.

Andrey Plekhanov, Senior Researcher at the State Scientific Centre of Arctic Research, said: 'The crater has more of an oval than a circular shape, it makes it harder to calculate the exact diameter. As of now our estimates is about thirty metres.

'If we try to measure diameter together with soil emission, the so-called parapet, then the diameter is up to sixty meters.

'The crater is from 50 to 70 metres deep'.


http://siberiantimes.com/PICTURES/SCIENCE/Yamal-crater-July-2014/inside%20inside%20the%20crater.jpg
The first look down the crater. Picture: Andrey Naumenko, 'Yamal-Region'


The researchers were unable to make their way to the bottom of the lake, but did go inside the crater.

'There is ice inside the crater which gradually thaws under the sun.

'Also there is melted water flowing down from its sides, you can see water traces on the pictures. The crater is filled with ice by about eighty per cent. '

He stressed: 'We are working with space photographs to figure out exact time of its formation.

'We have taken soil and ice samples which went straight to laboratories. We can be certain in saying that the crater appeared relatively recently, perhaps a year or two ago; so it is a recent formation, we are not talking about dozen years ago.

'Could it be linked to the global warming? We have to continue our research to answer this question.

'Two previous summers - years 2012 and 2013 were relatively hot for Yamal, perhaps this has somehow influenced the formation of the crater.

'But we have to do our tests and research first and then say it more definitively'.


http://siberiantimes.com/PICTURES/SCIENCE/Yamal-crater-July-2014/inside%20longest%20gv.jpg
The crater is filled with ice by about eighty per cent. Pictures: Marya Zulinova, press service of the Governor YaNAO


The best theory for now is that the crater was formed by internal - not external - forces.

'For now we can say for sure that under the influence of internal processes there was an ejection in the permafrost. I want to stress that it was not an explosion, but an ejection, so there was no heat released as it happened'.

Earlier scientists were sure there was burning visible on the sides of the crater.
'I also want to recall a theory that our scientists worked on in the 1980s - it has been left and then forgotten for a number of years.

'The theory was that the number of Yamal lakes formed because of exactly such natural process happening in the permafrost.

'Such kind of processes were taking place about 8,000 years ago. Perhaps they are repeating nowadays. If this theory is confirmed, we can say that we have witnessed a unique natural process that formed the unusual landscape of Yamal peninsula.

[...]

'There was no traces of anthropogenic impact near the crater, just as there was no traces of human presence, except for very few sledge traces and of course reindeer traces.

'If it was a man-made disaster linked by gas pumping, it would have happened closer to the gas fields', Andrey Plekhanov told The Siberian Times.

These are about 30 kilometres away. 'Gas workers would have been on alert, letting us know about it immediately.'

Denigrating speculation of aliens or UFOs he insisted:'There is nothing mysterious about it. There is no weird or unexplained feelings there, we came back safe and sound'.

Despite this, he said: 'I've never seen anything like this, even though I have been to Yamal many times.'


http://siberiantimes.com/PICTURES/SCIENCE/Yamal-crater-July-2014/inside%20best%20aerial%20view.jpg




http://siberiantimes.com/PICTURES/SCIENCE/Yamal-crater-July-2014/inside%20evenly%20cut%20sides.jpg




http://siberiantimes.com/PICTURES/SCIENCE/Yamal-crater-July-2014/inside%20long%20crater.jpg
The hole is in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous, some 30 kilometres from the Bovanenkovo gas field. Pictures: Marya Zulinova, press service of the Governor YaNAO



The crater is different from others on Yamal.


'There is nothing mysterious here, it is simply Mother Nature's law with its internal pressure and changes in temperatures', Andrey Plekhanov said.

Marina Leibman,Senior Researcher at the Earth's Cryosphere Institute of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, said: 'About the future of the crater - its walls are constantly thawing, water is gathering up and I suspect that it gets frozen at the bottom of the crater. If the water stream intensifies - for example because of the hot second part of July - then it won't have enough time to freeze. This will likely lead to a formation of a new lake.'

Vladimir Pushkarev, Director of the Russian State Scientific Center of the Arctic Research, 'It is an interesting phenomenon, there is every sense in continuing scientific work on it and right now we are discussing the best ways of exploring the site.'

The hole is in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous, some 30 kilometres from the Bovanenkovo gas field.

Anna Kurchatova from the Sub-Arctic Scientific Research Centre thinks the crater was formed by a water, salt and gas mixture igniting an underground explosion, the result of global warming.

Gas accumulated in ice mixed with sand beneath the surface, and that this was mixed with salt - some 10,000 years ago this area was a sea.

Global warming, causing an 'alarming' melt in the under soil ice, released gas causing an effect like the popping of a Champagne bottle cork, she suggests.

Yamal, a large peninsula jutting into Arctic waters, is Russia's main production area for gas supplied to Europe.

[Hervé]

Well, the wall of the hole is very smooth which indicates water work which developed a subcylindrical underground chamber.

Then, somehow, that chamber got filled with water which slowly turned into ice and extruded, pushing aside the roof of the chamber... like a big zit or a boil :)

[GrnEggsNHam]

Well, the wall of the hole is very smooth which indicates water work which developed a subcylindrical underground chamber.

Then, somehow, that chamber got filled with water which slowly turned into ice and extruded, pushing aside the roof of the chamber... like a big zit or a boil :)

After seeing the new pictures that is exactly what I thought of, a ruptured mother earth pimple :cool:.

[Hervé]

Now two NEW large holes appear in Siberia (http://siberiantimes.com/science/casestudy/news/now-two-new-large-holes-appear-in-siberia/)

By The Siberian Times reporter, 28 July 2014

Reindeer herders find more craters in the far north in a deepening puzzle for scientists.


http://siberiantimes.com/upload/information_system_38/1/5/7/item_1572/information_items_1572.jpg (http://siberiantimes.com/science/casestudy/news/now-two-new-large-holes-appear-in-siberia/)

The funnel is a perfectly formed cone, say locals who are mystified at how it was formed. Its depth is estimated at between 60 and 100 metres and its diameter - more than four metres. Picture: Local residents

Millions of people around the world glimpsed the first giant hole after it was revealed by The Siberian Times here (http://siberiantimes.com/science/casestudy/news/first-pictures-from-inside-the-crater-at-the-end-of-the-world/) and on The Siberian Times TV here (http://youtu.be/tDAVtjSadGg).

Now news has emerged of two new similar formations in the permafrost, prompting more intrigue about their creation.

Theories range from meteorites, stray missiles, a man-made prank, and aliens, to an explosive cocktail of methane or shale gas suddenly exploding. The version about melting permafrost due to climate change, causing a release of methane gas, which then forces an eruption is the current favorite, though scientists are reluctant to offer a firm conclusion without more study.


http://siberiantimes.com/PICTURES/SCIENCE/Yamal-crater-July-2014/inside%20good%20gv.jpg


http://siberiantimes.com/PICTURES/SCIENCE/Yamal-crater-July-2014/inside%20crater%20from%20distance.jpg


http://siberiantimes.com/PICTURES/SCIENCE/Yamal-crater-July-2014/inside%20sides%20of%20the%20crater.jpg

First pictures from the big crater near Bovanenkovo gas field. Theories range from meteorites, stray missiles, a man-made prank, and aliens, to an explosive cocktail of methane or shale gas suddenly exploding. Pictures: Andrey Naumenko, 'Yamal-Region'

The second is in the Yamal Peninsula - known to locals as 'the end of the world' - like the first. It is some hundreds kilometres from the first, which is close to a huge gas extraction plant at Bovanenkovo. This new crater in the Taz district, near the village of Antipayuta, has a diameter of about 15 metres.

A deputy of the regional parliament - or duma - Mikhail Lapsui has examined this latest phenomenon.

'I flew by helicopter to inspect this funnel on Saturday 19 July,' he said. 'Its diameter is about 15 meters. 'There is also ground outside, as if it was thrown as a result of an underground explosion.

'According to local residents, the hole formed on 27 September 2013. Observers give several versions. According to the first, initially at the place was smoking, and then there was a bright flash. In the second version, a celestial body fell there.'

The Chief Scientist of the Earth Cryosphere Institute, Marina Leibman, told URA.RU (http://ura.ru/) website: 'I have heard about the second funnel on Yamal, in Taz district, and saw the pictures.

'Undoubtedly, we need to study all such formations. It is necessary to be able to predict their occurrence. Each new funnel provides additional information for scientists.'


http://siberiantimes.com/PICTURES/SCIENCE/Yamal-crater-July-2014/inside_map_bovanenkovo.jpg


http://siberiantimes.com/PICTURES/SCIENCE/Yamal-crater-July-2014/inside_antipayuta_closer.jpg


http://siberiantimes.com/PICTURES/SCIENCE/Yamal-crater-July-2014/inside_crater_antipayuta.jpg
This new crater in the Taz district, near the village of Antipayuta, has a diameter of about 15 metres. Pictures: Google maps, press service of the Governor YaNAO

The third crater and hole is in the Taymyr Peninsula, to the east of Yamal, in Kransoyark region. It was accidentally discovered by local herders, inhabitants of the northern village of Nosok.

The funnel is a perfectly formed cone, say locals who are mystified at how it was formed. Its depth is estimated at between 60 and 100 metres and its diameter - more than four metres.

The herders almost fell into the hole which lies on a pasturing route. They took pictures of the hole which were sent to scientists at the Norilsk Taimyr Explorers' Club.

Experts - geologists, ecologists, and historians - have not come to a consensus about the origin of the funnel, say reports in the region.

'It is not like this is the work of men, but also doesn't look like natural formation,' said one account.


http://siberiantimes.com/PICTURES/SCIENCE/Yamal-crater-July-2014/inside_taymyr_hole_map.jpg


http://siberiantimes.com/PICTURES/SCIENCE/Yamal-crater-July-2014/inside_big_hole_taymyr.jpg

The herders almost fell into the hole which lies on a pasturing route. They took pictures of the hole which were sent to scientists at the Norilsk Taimyr Explorers' Club. Pictures: Google maps, Local residents

Further study is planned of this hole.

The first hole is around 70 metres deep with an icy lake at its bottom.

Please see our reports on the first hole here (http://siberiantimes.com/science/casestudy/news/first-pictures-from-inside-the-crater-at-the-end-of-the-world/) and here (http://youtu.be/tDAVtjSadGg).

[Snowflower]

I wish I could remember what Clif High said the sinkholes appearing in the arctic were a temporal marker for. Anyone remember?

[Christine]

On this link (http://www.transients.info/2013/01/global-coastal-event-summary-as-of.html) I found this from Clif High. I am not sure what to make of it though I was clearly being communicated with a few days ago and the message was that the Earth is cracking.. literally cracking apart. I wasn't sure what to make of it so just let the it pass.. now I am going to look deeper. (no pun intended :) )



"Clif High says that because the southern hemisphere isn't jammed packed with continents which would apply pressure, there is more leeway in terms of being able to form and separate with the rocks. Clif High's opinion is that the opposite will occur - More islands will appear and the ground will move up out of the ocean for example. (This would make sense when looking at the future maps of the world - Laron)

Clif High says that there would still be cracks in the Southern Hemisphere, it's just that materials will fill those cracks and move up which is what is the cause would be behind new land forming. Lava would also be part of the movement, making things more volatile. This would be mostly happening in the oceans as the oceans take up a lot more geography in the Southern Hemisphere.

Clif High now talks about the 'big sinkhole, which has formed over on the eastern ridge limb of the chatham trench near New Zealand and the Solomon Islands. This is where Clif expects the crack in the pacific plate will occur which is what would cause the Global Coastal Event.

Clif High says if you get enough of these sink holes in the southern hemisphere, and they create new pin points of matter attempting to come on through, because of the ability of the matter to come on through, the bottom of the ocean ruptures a bit, you get a bit of a crack maybe a few yards wide, then a few hundred feet and so on, then material comes up and a small island forms.

It doesn't have to come up fast, it just has to be there and it happens a little further along and a little further along and so on, and this is like the sink holes are all being plugged. Basically they will go along in the path of least resistance at the point of where the bottom of the ocean is thinnest and most fragile, and this will form a crack. Just like one might crack stone by drilling a series of holes in a stone. This is what is going to occur here Clif thinks, as in the trigger for the Global Coastal Event.

So these holes will be formed by materials below, creating a pressured wedge that will cause the pacific plate to crack.

On a Global scale, Clif doesn't think the sinkholes will be hugely dominate, as in every five yards, but Clif thinks we will see the level of sinkholes accelerate over the next month or so(March, into early April) and that they will move north. There should be reports coming up in Canada, Sweden, Russia, Finland, that kind of thing. When this occurs, we will know that the expansion process is getting very close to its next stage of evolution.

As once all the sink holes have gone all the way to the north pole, then there wont be a second wave of sinkholes, as that opening or softening of the skin of the planet would have occurred. So the next phase would be an increase of pressure on the planet so that a rupture occurs - The Global Coastal Event.

[Snowflower]

On this link (http://www.transients.info/2013/01/global-coastal-event-summary-as-of.html)
As once all the sink holes have gone all the way to the north pole, then there wont be a second wave of sinkholes, as that opening or softening of the skin of the planet would have occurred. So the next phase would be an increase of pressure on the planet so that a rupture occurs - The Global Coastal Event.[/I][/INDENT][/INDENT]

That's it, thanks, Christine! So, it sure does look to me like sinkholes have now made it to the north pole and we can expect rupturing to begin.

[Wind]

I think that there is truth to the expanding Earth theory. That among other things...

[Snowflower]

Wind, I consider expanding earth proven fact. It's a critical factor in current earth changes already happening.

[<8>]

Hi guys

I am sorry if I'm about to disappoint any mystical thoughts, but as a excavate driver for +20 years.
I can straight away see that the dirt around the hole, are suspiciously lumped up in piles and on one side of the hole there aren't dirt next to the edge.
That's because as you move alot of dirt and you are almost back where you started to dig, you have no place the dump the dirt. So you have to do a 180
and dump the dirt behind you.

And the rain did the shaping as you clearly can see.

But I have to admit, it's weird to dig a hole in the middle of nowhere, well, what's not weird these days??

[Hervé]

Mystery of the Siberian crater deepens: Scientists left baffled after two NEW holes appear in Russia's icy wilderness
(http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2708345/Mystery-Siberian-crater-deepens-Scientists-left-baffled-two-NEW-holes-appear-Russias-icy-wilderness.html)
By Will Stewart In Moscow (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/search.html?s=&authornamef=Will+Stewart+In+Moscow) and Ellie Zolfagharifard (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/search.html?s=&authornamef=Ellie+Zolfagharifard)
Published: 12:23 GMT, 28 July 2014 | Updated: 14:31 GMT, 28 July 2014

New unexplained holes have appeared in Siberia following the mystery over a giant crater on the Yamal Peninsula.

A second is in the same permafrost region of northern Russia, and a third on the Taymyr Peninsula, to the east, in Kransoyark region. Both were spotted by reindeer herders who almost fell in.

The original hole received worldwide attention after being identified by helicopter pilots some 20 miles (32km) from a huge gas extraction plant at Bovanenkov.



http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/07/28/article-2708345-2010FB3000000578-463_964x754.jpg
The original crater was found in the Yamal Peninsula, baffling scientists. Now two further craters have been found in the Taz district and Taymyr Peninsula





http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/07/28/article-2708345-2010CA3000000578-948_964x640.jpg
The new Yamal crater (pictured) is in the area's Taz district near the village of Antipayuta and has a diameter of about 49ft (15 metres). According to local residents, the hole formed on 27 September 2013


Now the new holes - smaller in diameter but similar in shape - are posing a fresh challenge for Russian scientists.

'Theories range from meteorites, stray missiles, a man-made prank, and aliens, to an explosive cocktail of methane or shale gas suddenly exploding,' reported The Siberian Times. (http://siberiantimes.com/science/casestudy/news/now-two-new-large-holes-appear-in-siberia/)

'The version about melting permafrost due to climate change, causing a release of methane gas, which then forces an eruption is the current favourite, though scientists are reluctant to offer a firm conclusion without more study.'

The new Yamal crater is in the area's Taz district near the village of Antipayuta and has a diameter of about 49ft (15 metres).



http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/07/28/article-2708345-2010CA5B00000578-206_964x706.jpg
The third crater is in the Taymyr Peninsula and was accidentally discovered by reindeer herders who almost fell into it, in the vicinity of the remote outpost of Nosok. The funnel is a perfectly formed cone, say locals who are mystified over its formation. Its depth is estimated at between 200 to 330ft (60 to 100 metres) and its diameter - more than 13ft (four metres)




http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/07/28/article-2708345-2010CA6500000578-730_964x703.jpg


Geologists, ecologists, and historians have not come to a consensus about the origin of the Taymyr hole (pictured), say reports in the region. 'It is not like this is the work of men, but also doesn't look like natural formation,' said one account expressing puzzlement at its creation


THE MAIN THEORIES SO FAR
One of the more popular theories is that the giant hole was caused by a phenomenon known as a pingo.

This is a subsurface accumulation of ice that has been covered by land.

When the ice melts it can leave behind a gaping hole that it once filled.

The other favoured theory is that the hole was caused by an explosion of methane underground.

The Yamal Peninsula is rich in natural gas, with its resources extensively tapped by Russia, and a mixture of water, salt and gas could result in an explosion.

The other theory is that it was caused by a meteorite, but most experts have ruled this possibility out as the phenomenon does not resemble normal impact craters.






http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/07/21/article-2699853-1FB9A01F00000578-911_472x647.jpg
The predominant theory so far is that the feature is a 'pingo'. This is a large chunk of ice that is located underground that can create a hole in the ground when it melts




A deputy of the regional parliament - or duma - Mikhail Lapsui said: 'I flew by helicopter to inspect this funnel' which he said was formed last year though only now have reports of it reached the outside world.

'There is ground outside, as if it was thrown as a result of an underground explosion.
'According to local residents, the hole formed on 27 September 2013.

'Observers give several versions. According to the first, initially at the place was smoking, and then there was a bright flash. In the second version, a celestial body fell there.'

The chief scientist of the Earth Cryosphere Institute, Marina Leibman, told URA.RU (http://ura.ru/) website in Sibera: 'I have heard about the second funnel on Yamal, in Taz district, and saw the pictures.

'Undoubtedly, we need to study all such formations. It is necessary to be able to predict their occurrence.

'Each new funnel provides additional information for scientists.'

The third crater and hole is in the Taymyr Peninsula and was accidentally discovered by reindeer herders who almost fell into it, in the vicinity of the remote outpost of Nosok.

The funnel is a perfectly formed cone, say locals who are mystified over its formation.

Its depth is estimated at between 200 to 330ft (60 to 100 metres) and its diameter - more than 13ft (four metres).

Experts - geologists, ecologists, and historians - have not come to a consensus about the origin of the funnel, say reports in the region.

'It is not like this is the work of men, but also doesn't look like natural formation,' said one account expressing puzzlement at its creation.

Scientists in Krasnoyarsk region - the second largest in Russia - plan further study of this hole.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/07/28/article-2708345-1FB9AB6100000578-802_964x707.jpg


The discovery eliminates the possibility that a meteorite had struck the region in the Yamal Peninsula - the name of which translates as 'the end of the world'



The first hole is around 230ft (70 metres) deep and when a group of experts visited it earlier this month, they noted an icy at its bottom.

Their footage highlights a darkening around the rim which was earlier seen as evidence of heat possibly from an explosion during the crater's creation.

'They found the crater - around up to 300ft (70 metres) deep - has an icy lake at its bottom, and water is cascading down its eroding permafrost walls,' said The Siberian Times (http://siberiantimes.com/science/casestudy/news/first-pictures-from-inside-the-crater-at-the-end-of-the-world/).

[...]



http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/07/18/article-2696953-1FBF277A00000578-973_964x641.jpg


The edge of the terrifyingly large, original crater is seen here. One favoured theory is that the hole was caused by an explosion of methane underground




http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/07/18/article-2696953-1FBF274B00000578-304_964x641.jpg
Aerial view shows how out of place the hole looks in the environment

[Humble Janitor]

I'm freaked out by all of these holes. Yikes!

I hope that scientists figure out what the heck is going on before more holes appear.

[Atlas]

I hope that scientists figure out what the heck is going on before more holes appear.
They heard you:

http://siberiantimes.com/PICTURES/SCIENCE/Yamal-crater-November-2014/inside%20the%20group.jpg

http://siberiantimes.com/PICTURES/SCIENCE/Yamal-crater-November-2014/inside%20one%20man%20outside%20with%20equipment.jpg

http://siberiantimes.com/PICTURES/SCIENCE/Yamal-crater-November-2014/inside%20two%20men%20go%20down.jpg

http://siberiantimes.com/PICTURES/SCIENCE/Yamal-crater-November-2014/inside%20upside%20down%20one.jpg

http://siberiantimes.com/PICTURES/SCIENCE/Yamal-crater-November-2014/inside%20man%20on%20a%20wall.jpg

http://siberiantimes.com/PICTURES/SCIENCE/Yamal-crater-November-2014/inside%20landed%20best.jpg

http://siberiantimes.com/PICTURES/SCIENCE/Yamal-crater-November-2014/inside%20one%20man%20by%20the%20wall.jpg

http://siberiantimes.com/PICTURES/SCIENCE/Yamal-crater-November-2014/inside%20ice%20sample.jpg

http://siberiantimes.com/PICTURES/SCIENCE/Yamal-crater-November-2014/inside%20more%20samples.jpg

Dozens of new craters suspected in northern Russia (http://siberiantimes.com/science/casestudy/news/n0127-dozens-of-mysterious-new-craters-suspected-in-northern-russia/)

[Atlas]

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/44908464/avalon/earth/craters1.jpg
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/44908464/avalon/earth/craters2.jpg

[Hervé]

Big bang formed crater causing 'glow in sky': explosion was heard 100 km away (http://siberiantimes.com/science/casestudy/news/n0676-big-bang-formed-crater-causing-glow-in-sky-explosion-was-heard-100-km-away/)

By The Siberian Times reporter, 07 June 2016

Startling new details emerge of the most mysterious of Siberia's newly created giant permafrost holes.


http://siberiantimes.com/upload/information_system_38/4/3/8/item_4389/information_items_4389.jpg (http://siberiantimes.com/science/casestudy/news/n0676-big-bang-formed-crater-causing-glow-in-sky-explosion-was-heard-100-km-away/)
Since the crater was formed in a 2013 blowout, the crater's size rapidly increased at least 15 times during the next year and a half. Picture: Vladimir Epifanov


First accounts of the gaping fissure in the earth - found by reindeer herders, who were almost swallowed up by the crater - reported that it was around 4 metres in width and 'about 100 metres' deep.

Scattered over a radius of one kilometre were lumps of displaced soil, sand and ice which had erupted from the earth.

Now we can reveal significant new details about this remote crater on the Taimyr peninsula in Krasnoyarsk region, some 440 kilometres from dozens of other newly-formed giant holes.

Firstly, respected scientist Dr Vladimir Epifanov, the sole leading expert to so far visit the site, said: 'There is verbal information that residents of nearby villages - at a distance of 70-100 km - heard a sound like an explosion, and one of them watched a clear glow in the sky. It was about one month after the Chelyabinsk meteorite.'


http://siberiantimes.com/PICTURES/SCIENCE/Taimyr-hole/inside_taimyr_hole_winter_1.jpg



http://siberiantimes.com/PICTURES/SCIENCE/Taimyr-hole/standard_new_big_hole.jpg
First accounts of the gaping fissure in the earth - found by reindeer herders - reported that it was around 4 metres in width and 'about 100 metres' deep. Pictures: Sergei Lapsui and Stanislav Yaptune


Locals wrongly suspected it was another exploding space object falling from the sky, it is believed. This is the first known account of the explosive sound, and a bright light in the sky for which - as yet - there seems no explanation.

Secondly, since the crater was formed in a 2013 blowout, the crater's size rapidly increased at least 15 times during the next year and a half, according to previously unreported scientific data.

It is expected to be even wider now but no recent scientific surveys have been made to the remote site.

Our pictures show the so-called Deryabinsky crevice in snow soon after it was formed, when the hole was some four metres in width, and the latest known pictures which illustrate how it is now a lake, some 70 metres in diameter.


http://siberiantimes.com/PICTURES/SCIENCE/Taimyr-hole/inside_taimyr_autumn.jpg
The height of the northern wall from the water level was measured as six metres, and the water depth 12 metres. The southern wall 10 metres in height, and the depth 18 metres: but it was not possible to measure the deepest point. Picture: Vladimir Epifanov


Thirdly, the landscape around the crater is changing so rapidly that experts predict the walls of the crater lake will soon collapse it will merge with a nearby long-established lake.

Whatever the original cause of the explosion heard over a vast area, the collapse is seen as being due to melting permafrost, and the walls of the crater caving in.

The height of the northern wall from the water level was measured as six metres, and the water depth 12 metres. The southern wall 10 metres in height, and the depth 18 metres: but it was not possible to measure the deepest point. As previously stated, the original hole was estimated as 100 metres deep.

Russia is monitoring by satellite the sites of potential new eruptions across huge swathes of the permafrost north of Siberia, amid suspicions that climate change has stoked a new natural phenomenon.

When this Taimyr hole first appeared, and many more in Yamal peninsula, known to locals as 'the end of the world', there were varied claims as to the cause: theories ranged from meteorites, to stray missiles, and a manmade prank to outlandish claims that this was the work of aliens.

There was also the theory that the trigger was an explosive cocktail of methane or other underground gas. One account when it the Taimyr hole first appeared stated: 'It is not like the work of men, but it also doesn't look like natural formation.'

Scientists now appear to agree that other recently-formed Siberian holes were caused by climate warming releasing previously frozen gases, but there is a claim that a different process is at work in the Taimyr crater.

On the Yamal peninsula, the main theory is (http://siberiantimes.com/science/casestudy/news/n0302-startling-changes-revealed-in-mystery-craters-in-northern-siberia/) that the craters were formed by pingos - dome-shaped mounds over a core of ice - erupting under pressure of methane gas released by thawing of permafrost caused by warming temperatures.

Pictures highlighted by The Siberian Times in recent years show this dramatic new permafrost phenomenon on land, but it is also clear that underwater mounds in the Kara Sea are leaking methane gas with potentially hazardous consequences for energy exploration in the area.

One theory is that huge and sudden methane releases from these leaking sea-floor hillocks cause the phenomenon known as the Bermuda Triangle (http://siberiantimes.com/science/casestudy/news/siberian-exploding-holes-are-the-key-to-bermuda-triangle-scientists/) which has led to shipping and air tragedies in the Altantic.


http://siberiantimes.com/PICTURES/SCIENCE/Yamal-crater-July-2014/inside%20best%20aerial%20view.jpg



http://siberiantimes.com/PICTURES/SCIENCE/Yamal-crater-November-2014/inside%20just%20crater%20gv.jpg



http://siberiantimes.com/PICTURES/SCIENCE/Yamal-craters-July-2015/inside%20B1%20GV%20July%202015.jpg



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http://siberiantimes.com/PICTURES/SCIENCE/Yamal-craters-July-2015/September-2015/inside_hole_and_lake_gv.jpg
How the famous Yamal crater changed from July 2014 to September 2015.
Pictures: Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous region governor's press-service, Vasily Bogoyavlensky, Vladimir Pushkarev Picture: Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous region governor's press-service


Land-based Yamal craters were previously pingos, or mounds with an ice core common in Arctic and sub-Arctic regions, says leading authority Professor Vasily Bogoyavlensky.

Warming over a number of years caused melting and the vacant space inside the ice humps was filled with natural gas, mainly methane, which eventually triggered eruptions, he believes.

Dr Epifanov has a different explanation for the Taimyr eruption, suggesting [that, since] it originated at depth, [...] it could not be linked directly to climate change, namely the degradation of gas hydrates some 500 metres below the surface, releasing methane which accumulated at a depth of 100 metres.

He sees the process of degass[ing] as being normal in permafrost regions.

Dr Epifanov is from the Siberian Research Institute of Geology, Geophysics and Mineral Resources, in Novosibirsk.

The Siberian Times thanks Larisa Stryuchkova and 'Neizvestny Norilsk' ('Unknown Norilsk') Magazine for the reports and images.