A hole in the ground in Yamal. Yamal black hole

30.06.2023 Fruit and berry crops for the garden

In 2014, the whole world was excited by the discovery on the Yamal Peninsula of huge holes, the so-called "craters" or "craters". Until now, it was known about three holes, the largest and most studied of which was located near the village of Bovanenkovo.

But recently, Professor Vasily Bogoyavlensky, head. branch of the Department of Geology at IPOG RAS, discovered several more new holes on satellite images of Yamal, including one huge hole (from 50 to 100 meters in diameter), already filled with water, but surrounded by a scattering of smaller holes. The Siberian Times writes about this.

“Now we know about seven large craters, instead of the three previously discovered. Five of them are directly on the peninsula, one in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District and one in the north of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, near Taimyr.

Bogoyavlensky is alarmed by his discovery and asks to investigate the appearance of new craters in order to prevent a possible catastrophe in the future.

Satellite images taken at an unspecified time interval show how first small holes appeared in this place, and then a huge hole, which immediately filled with water.

According to scientists who have studied previous holes in Yamal, their appearance was the result of the release of methane from thawed permafrost, most likely as a result of global warming. The appearance of new holes indicates that this process continues and each new release of methane can lead to a series of explosions that can lead to a fire. Local residents have previously reported seeing strong flashes of light.

New craters are marked in red

In this picture, a lake in Yamal with traces of methane emissions on the surface

Craters previously discovered and currently being studied by scientists.

On the Yamal Peninsula there are huge holes, the so-called "craters" or "craters". Until now, it was known about three holes, the largest and most studied of which was located near the village of Bovanenkovo.

But recently Professor Vasily Bogoyavlensky, head branch of the Department of Geology at the Institute of Oil and Gas Research, Russian Academy of Sciences, found several more new holes, including one huge hole (from 50 to 100 meters in diameter), already filled with water, but surrounded by a scattering of smaller holes. The Siberian Times writes about this.

Now we know about seven large craters, instead of the three previously discovered. Five of them are directly on the peninsula, one in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District and one in the north of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, near Taimyr.

Bogoyavlensky is alarmed by his discovery and asks to investigate the appearance of new craters in order to prevent a possible catastrophe in the future.

Satellite images taken at an unspecified time interval show how first small holes appeared in this place, and then a huge hole, which immediately filled with water.

New craters are marked in red

In this picture, a lake in Yamal with traces of methane emissions on the surface

Craters previously discovered and currently being studied by scientists.

A gigantic sinkhole has been discovered in Yamal. Helicopter pilots serving the oil and gas fields in Yamal, filming the funnel from the air, report that its size is so large that several Mi-8 helicopters can safely descend inside.

A giant funnel in Yamal may be the trace of an unknown meteorite

The failure is located several tens of kilometers from the Bovanenskoye field, which is the largest in terms of gas reserves in Yamal. According to the Chelyabinsk Bulletin, a powerful underground stream makes noise at the bottom.

The author of the video with the helicopter flying over the funnel, the user Bulka, points out that the greenery around is a forest. He also points out that the soil around the crater was thrown out, and its dark color "indicates the effect of temperature." The Stormnews edition clarifies that the forest around is dwarf, but the dimensions are nevertheless impressive.

The Tyumen-Kosmopoisk group emphasizes that the crater cannot be called an ordinary karst sinkhole: "Perhaps at first there was an explosion (artificial? meteorite?), then the soil under the crater fell into a fairly wide underground river."

"Chelyabinsk Bulletin", citing the pilots, reports that no survey work related to the detonation of powerful charges was carried out in these places. "The size of the funnel (indirectly it can be estimated by looking at the greenery around the hole - these are trees, albeit dwarf, arctic), suggests that the power of the explosion was comparable to the power of a small atomic bomb," the publication points out.

The governor's press service told Interfax that the expedition of scientists is scheduled for Wednesday (16/07/14). The funnel will be studied on site by one representative of the Institute of the Earth's Cryosphere of the Russian Academy of Sciences and two employees of the Center for Arctic Studies. They will collect preliminary information - in particular, they will take analyzes of water, soil and air.

It is possible that the resulting pit is a common natural phenomenon, a karst failure. “Such phenomena in Yamal are not new, it happened both last year and the year before last. The earth is sinking, the earth is recovering, frozen soils behave unpredictably. The underwater river washed out the soil, it thawed, fell. There is no "guard" here," the spokesman for the head of the region said.

At the same time, the interlocutor of the agency noted that "some experts are inclined to think about some kind of meteorite phenomenon." "In any case, you need to look on the spot to see if there are any fragments, melting, and so on," he explained.

Scientists will continue to study the unusual basin in Yamal

In Salekhard, participants in the first study of a deep basin on the Yamal Peninsula gave a press conference. They believe that the hollow can turn into a lake. In their opinion, an unusual natural phenomenon should be studied further.

Marina Leibman, Doctor of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences, Chief Researcher of the Institute of the Earth’s Cryosphere of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Andrey Plekhanov, Senior Researcher of the State Institution of the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug “Scientific Center for the Study of the Arctic”, who went to the site of the formation of the funnel, spoke in detail about what they saw, as well as about the work done.

Marina Leibman suggested what might happen to the funnel in the future. “Now its walls are constantly thawing. Water accumulates, and I assume that it freezes from below. If this flow of water increases, for example, there will be a very hot continuation of July, then it will not have time to freeze, and a lake will begin to form,” she said.

According to the director of the Russian Center for the Development of the Arctic (YNAO) Vladimir Pushkarev, it is planned to continue the study of the identified natural phenomenon. “The phenomenon is interesting in itself. Discussions are underway to explore the site further. In fact, the continuation of scientific work makes sense, ”he concluded.

Scientists study the Yamal "black hole"

On Yamal, scientists are exploring a mysterious crater. A giant funnel with a diameter of 60 meters was discovered from a helicopter. Many versions immediately appeared on the Internet - where did she come from? Did a meteorite fall or aliens intervened? And finally, the first scientific version.

For tens of kilometers around - not a soul. A scientific expedition flies to the site of a giant crater found in the Yamal permafrost. It is visible from the helicopter window, but it is dangerous to sit next to it - it is not known what is down there.

This funnel was first discovered by employees of one of the local gas fields. It was also filmed from a helicopter, and this video on the Internet gained millions of views in a matter of days. The pit has been nicknamed the Yamal "black hole" on the Internet. There were all sorts of versions - from the fall of a meteorite to a terrible monster. The current scientific expedition should dispel - or confirm - one of them.

The first step is to set up a tent. How long the study of the funnel will last, no one knows yet. Scientists are clearly nervous. They go carefully to the funnel itself: underfoot, in dense shrubs, there may be other smaller pits. Scientists admit: they meet such a phenomenon for the first time in their lives.

“This is the first time that a drainless hole is made. Water is noisy. Do not hesitate - it flows quickly along the walls. Because the sun is falling,” explains Marina Oskarovna Leibman, chief researcher at the Institute of the Earth’s Cryosphere of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

“In those places on Yamal where I have been, I have not seen such people. And I have not heard such a thing from my colleagues,” says Andrey Plekhanov, senior researcher at the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug “Scientific Center for the Study of the Arctic”.

Up close, you can see that the walls of the funnel are constantly collapsing. They are washed away by the melt waters of permafrost, so every day the radius of this giant pit is slowly increasing. You can hear thousands of streams roaring down to the bottom.

First - measurements for harmful effects: gases and radiation. “I’m trying to determine combustible gases with a gas analyzer. But so far I can’t find anything. As for radiation, everything is also normal, better than in the city,” says Andrei Plekhanov.

Then - the study of lumps of earth. Scientists measure - some clods of clay scattered for tens of meters.

The most distant fragments - they are about 120 meters from the funnel.

The first assumption is the ejection of the bowels. Due to the temperature difference and the melting of underground glaciers, a gas ball could form in the ground, which eventually burst.

“Obviously, this is some kind of ejection from the bowels of the earth. I don’t think that it was accompanied by an explosion - there is no fire or charring. Purely mechanical ejection. Something fantastic can be assumed - some kind of meteorite fell here. When a meteorite falls, there is charring. This is not here," says Marina Oskarovna Leibman.

This study is only the first. Soil samples and other measurements will now be studied in the laboratory. And geologists are looking for more giant sinkholes nearby. Or this one will remain the unique Yamal pit.

A second mysterious funnel was discovered in Yamal

In the Tazovsky district of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, local residents found a hollow similar to the one that was discovered on July 10 near the village of Bovanenkovo, Interfax reports.

The sinkhole became known from local reindeer herders. According to them, on September 27, 2013, a celestial body fell in this area (90 kilometers from the village of Antipayuta) and an outbreak occurred. Another reindeer herder spoke only of seeing smoke, a veil, and then a flash.

A video depicting a sinkhole near the village of Bovanenkovo appeared on the Internet on July 10. The recording immediately attracted the attention of the public (on YouTube it was viewed by 2 million people). The resonance in the media forced the administration of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug to urgently send a scientific expedition to the crater with the participation of employees of the Yamalo-Nenets Scientific Center for the Study of the Arctic and the Institute of the Earth's Cryosphere of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Scientists measured the size of the funnel and established the natural nature of this object. While the working hypothesis is as follows - the crater was formed during the release of natural gas.

The scientific expedition of the Russian Center for the Development of the Arctic, led by Vladimir Pushkarev, descended to the bottom, the depth of which is 200 meters.

Descent into the Yamal funnel. Author of the photo: Vladimir Pushkarev (NP "Russian Center for the Development of the Arctic")

According to the expedition, the walls of this amazing cone-shaped funnel are composed of ice with the inclusion of small particles of rock. At the time of the descent, the bottom of the funnel was the frozen surface of the lake, formed as a result of the accumulation of rainwater. Rainwater is expected to fill the funnel completely next year.

Descent to the bottom of the Yamal funnel. Author of the photo: Vladimir Pushkarev (NP "Russian Center for the Development of the Arctic")

Yamal funnel. Author of the photo: Vladimir Pushkarev (NP "Russian Center for the Development of the Arctic")

The expedition did not find the presence of any toxic gases at the bottom of the funnel. The selected samples of the rocks of the Yamal funnel will be subjected to laboratory analysis.

At the bottom of the Yamal funnel. Author of the photo: Vladimir Pushkarev (NP "Russian Center for the Development of the Arctic")

Yamal funnel. View from the bottom. Author of the photo: Vladimir Pushkarev (NP "Russian Center for the Development of the Arctic")

Sampling in the Yamal funnel. Author of the photo: Vladimir Pushkarev (NP "Russian Center for the Development of the Arctic")

One of the samples. Author of the photo: Vladimir Pushkarev (NP "Russian Center for the Development of the Arctic")

Some scientists (Russian Academy of Sciences Academician Vladimir Melnikov) believe that the funnel is caused by global warming.

The Yamal black hole - this is how they dubbed the mysterious funnel that suddenly appeared in the north. It surprised scientists with its great depth and incredibly smooth edges of the failure, sheerly descending into the bowels of the earth. On the one hand, the hole resembles a karst formation, on the other - the epicenter of the explosion. Over the mystery of the anomaly, scientists have been struggling for several years.

Discovery history

The Yamal Peninsula is one of the coldest places in Russia. The soil during the summer thaws only a meter deep. All the more surprising was the discovery in the middle of the boundless tundra of a huge funnel tens of meters deep. According to the pilots, its dimensions theoretically allowed several helicopters to sink to the bottom at the same time.

The Yamal hole, the photo of which instantly spread around the world's leading media, presumably formed in the fall of 2013. The first video of the natural phenomenon, filmed from a helicopter, was published on 07/10/2014. A week later, a group of scientists, journalists and rescuers examined the unexpected find for the first time. As it turned out, science has not encountered such an object before.

Location

The Yamal funnel is located on the Russian peninsula of the same name to the south of the Bovanenkovo gas condensate field (about 30 kilometers) and to the west of the Morda-Yakha River (17 km). The region belongs to the bioclimatic subzone of typical tundra.

There are many streams, small lakes in the summer, permafrost spreads over large areas. Therefore, the karst nature of the formation of the failure was at first dominant.

Yamal black hole: origin theories

Geologists, permafrost experts, and climatologists carefully study the mysterious round and cylindrical craters in Yamal with even cliff edges. The first gigantic failure with a diameter of about 60 m was noticed in July 2014 on the Yamal Peninsula. A little later, two more similar mysterious wells of smaller sizes were discovered: on and Taimyr. spawned a number of polar versions. Among the reasons are:

Karst failures, when groundwater washes out large cavities in the rock, and the upper earthen layer settles.
Melted ice block.
Explosion of methane.
Meteor falling.
ufological theory. Allegedly, there was a man-made object in the ground.

dangerous find

Numerous expeditions of Russian scientists lifted the veil of secrecy. According to geologists, the Yamal hole, whose depth is more than 200 m, is a purely natural phenomenon. But even here there are different opinions. Some associate the formation of failures with the washing out of the soil or geological processes, the influence of the internal pressure of the planet. Other authorities claim that the craters were formed after the explosions.

The conclusions of the specialists of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences sound intimidating. According to scientists, huge reserves of "natural explosives" are stored in the crust of the planet. It is located in many parts of the Earth, subsequently massive explosions can occur, provoked by climate change. A number of geologists say: "The consequences will be worse than a nuclear winter."

The secret is revealed?

The Yamal failure excited the public. Numerous "conspiracy theories" have arisen among the townsfolk, from UFO tricks to supernova weapon tests. Scientists talk about the causes of a natural nature.

Soil samples near the sinkholes revealed the concentration of methane molecules. Accordingly, the theory is put forward that the holes were formed after the detonation of the gas hydrate. Due to permafrost, this composition is in a solid state. However, when heated, methane instantly evaporates, expanding to gigantic volumes and causing an explosion effect. In recent years, "plus" temperature records have been recorded in Yamal, the ground is thawing to a considerable depth. Frozen "gas bubbles" melt together with it.

1 m 3 of methane hydrate contains 163 m 3 of gas. When the gas begins to be released, the process becomes an avalanche (it resembles a nuclear reaction in terms of propagation speed). There is an explosion of colossal force, capable of throwing tons of soil.

Yamal funnel and the Bermuda Triangle

Recently, geologists have discovered that such situations are typical not only for permafrost zones. Gas hydrate accumulates in water at great depths, for example, there is a lot of it at the bottom of Lake Baikal. Perhaps the tragic disappearances of ships and aircraft in the Bermuda Triangle zone are associated with methane. Presumably, there are extensive accumulations of hydrate on the seabed in this area. Only here the gas is not frozen, but compressed by enormous pressure.

During the movements of the Earth's crust, earthquakes, large volumes of methane are released, rushing to the surface. Water changes properties, fills with tiny bubbles, like champagne, and loses its density. As a result, it ceases to hold the ships, and they sink. Getting into the atmosphere, methane also changes its properties, disrupting the operation of aviation equipment.

today

The Yamal black hole is no longer such. Over the years, it has been filled with melt water and gradually merges with the nearby lake. The process was accompanied by active thawing and destruction of the shores.

More curious are the testimonies of several eyewitnesses who described the formation of a funnel in 2016. A new Yamal failure arose on July 5 to the west of the village of Seyakha and resembled the eruption of a giant geyser. A powerful release of steam lasted about 4 hours, and the formed cloud visually rose to a height of five kilometers.

Employees of the St. Petersburg Hydrological Institute previously explored the area. It is known for very deep "crater" lakes, reminiscent of the famous Yamal hole. The depth of one of the record holders is 71 m. Moreover, the old-timers recall that such emissions have happened before and were even accompanied by flashes of fire.

Disappointing conclusions

Impressive deposits of methane hydrate are scattered all over the planet. Climate warming is capable of provoking a chain explosive reaction on a global scale. Billions of tons of methane in this case will change the structure of the atmosphere and lead to the mass extinction of all life. Therefore, the Yamal black hole is an important object for research.

Record temperatures in 2015-2016 triggered the formation of new smaller craters. They are all located in the same climate zone. So, it is the rapid thawing of permafrost that is the root cause of their occurrence.

Alternative opinion

Not everyone supports the coherent theory of scientists. First of all, critics note the unnaturally smooth edges of the crater, which, with a powerful methane release, should have been covered with cracks. They are also surprised by the small amount of rock ejected by the explosion.

Perhaps the Yamal crater is the result of the Larmor effect, i.e., the impact of the solar wind in the polar regions on the earth's surface. The flow of charged particles, meeting with the landscape, melts the ice, forming ring structures of ideal shape. If gas or hydrate accumulated in cracks is encountered along the path of currents induced by cosmic particles, it is squeezed out onto the edges of the Larmor. Scientists who study failure do not rule out this theory.

However, there is no reason to doubt the natural origin of the phenomenon. The peninsula is literally dotted with small saucer lakes with considerable depth. It is obvious that they were formed similarly to the Yamal sinkhole. According to studies, such processes took place 8,000 years ago and were again activated due to climate change.

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