A decade ago, a mysterious crater appeared in Siberia, forming a huge, jagged hole hundreds of meters wide, collapsing into an abyss.
It was surrounded by enormous chunks of soil and ice, testimony to the violent forces that created it.
Various theories about the appearance of strange craters in Siberia
Since 2014, more than 20 such craters have appeared, marking the remote landscape of the Yamal and Gydan peninsulas in northwestern Siberia, the most recent of which was discovered in August. The craters have intrigued and baffled scientists, who have spent years trying to figure out how they came to be. A number of hypotheses have been considered, including crazy theories such as a meteorite fall or even aliens. Now, a team of engineers, physicists and computer scientists say they have found a new explanation. Their findings, presented in a study published last month, suggest it’s a mix of human-induced climate change and the region’s unusual geology.
Scientists already agreed that these craters form when gases trapped beneath the tundra – including planet-warming methane – build up underground, causing a mountain to emerge on the surface. When the pressure below exceeds the resistance of the soil above, the mound explodes, releasing gases. The specific mechanisms of pressure formation and the exact provenance of the gas are still under debate.
Water seeps into the salt layer
Ana Morgado, study author and chemical engineer at the University of Cambridge, said the team behind the new research decided to approach the questions like detective work. They first wondered if the explosions might be chemical reactions, but this was quickly ruled out. “Nothing related to chemical combustion was reported,” Morgado said. It should be physical then, she said. What the researchers discovered revolves around the complex geology of this particular part of Siberia.
