Yamal black hole - this is how the mysterious funnel that suddenly appeared in the north of the Yamal Peninsula was dubbed. She surprised scientists with the 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. Scientists have been struggling with the mystery of the anomaly 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 2014-10-07. A week later, a group of scientists, journalists andrescuers 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, south of the Bovanenkovskoye gas condensate field (about 30 kilometers) and 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 sinkhole formation was dominant at first.
Yamal black hole: origin theories
Geologists, permafrost experts, climatologists carefully study the mysterious round and cylindrical craters in Yamal with smooth edges of cliffs. 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 the Gydansky and Taimyr peninsulas. The mysterious events gave rise to a number of polar versions. Reasons include:
- Karst sinkholes, when groundwater washes out large cavities in the rock, and the top earth layer settles.
- Melted ice plug.
- Methane explosion.
- Meteorite fall.
- 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 Yamala hole, the depth of which is more than 200 m, has a purely natural phenomenon. But even here there are different opinions. Some associate the formation of failures with the washing out of soil by an underground river 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 planet's crust. 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."
Mystery solved?
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 dips 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 soil is thawing to a considerable depth. Frozen "gas bubbles" are melted along with it.
1 m3 of methane hydrate contains 163 m3 of gas. When the gas begins to evolve, the process becomesavalanche-like (according to the speed of propagation, it resembles a nuclear reaction). An explosion of colossal force occurs, capable of ejecting tons of soil.
Yamal funnel and Bermuda Triangle
Recently, geologists 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 huge pressure.
When the Earth's crust moves, earthquakes release large volumes of methane 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 coast.
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 steam ejection lasted about 4 hours, and the formed cloud visually roseto 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. This means that 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.
Possibly, 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 on the waycurrents induced by cosmic particles, gas or hydrate accumulated in cracks is encountered, it is squeezed out onto the edges of the Larmor. Scientists studying 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.
