The Yamal black hole is the name for the mysterious funnel that suddenly appeared in the north of the Yamal Peninsula. She surprised scientists with great depth and incredibly smooth edges of the dip, steeply 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 anomaly riddle for several years.
Discovery story
The Yamal Peninsula is one of the coldest places in Russia. Soil over 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 simultaneously.
The Yamal Hole, a photo of which instantly flew around the world's leading media, was supposedly formed in the fall of 2013. The first video of a natural phenomenon captured from a helicopter was published on July 10, 2014. Within a week, a group of scientists, journalists and rescuers first examined an unexpected find. As it turned out, science had not previously encountered such an object.
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 Mordy-Yakha river (17 km). The region belongs to the bioclimatic subzone of typical tundra.
There are many streams, small lakes in the summer, permafrost rocks spread over large areas. Therefore, the karst nature of the failure formation was initially dominant.
Yamal Black Hole: Theories of Origin
Geologists, permafrost scientists, climatologists carefully study mysterious round and cylindrical funnels on the Yamal Peninsula with smooth edges of the cliffs. The first gigantic dip 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 . Mysterious events gave rise to a number of polar versions. Among the reasons are indicated:
- Karst dips, when groundwater leaches large cavities in the rock, and the upper earthen layer settles.
- Melted ice cork.
- Methane explosion
- Meteor falling.
- Ufological theory. Allegedly, a technogenic object was in the ground.
Dangerous find
Numerous expeditions of Russian scientists have unveiled the veil of secrecy. According to geologists, the Yamal hole, the depth of which is more than 200 m, has a purely natural phenomenon. But there are different opinions. Some associate the formation of dips with leaching of soil by an underground river or geological processes, the influence of the planet’s internal pressure. Other authorities claim that funnels formed after the explosions.
The conclusions of the specialists of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences sound frightening. According to scientists, huge reserves of “natural explosives” are stored in the crust of the planet. It is located in many corners of the Earth, subsequently mass explosions provoked by climate change can occur. A number of geologists argue: "The consequences will be worse than a nuclear winter."
The secret is revealed?
The Yamal failure excited the public. Among the inhabitants there were numerous "conspiracy theories": from UFO tricks to testing supernova weapons. Scientists talk about natural causes.
Soil samples near the dips revealed a concentration of methane molecules. Accordingly, the theory is advanced that holes formed after detonation of gas hydrate. Due to permafrost, this compound 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 on the Yamal Peninsula, the soil thaws to a considerable depth. The frozen "gas bubbles" melt along with it.
1 m 3 of methane hydrate contains 163 m 3 of gas. When the gas begins to be released, the process becomes avalanche-like (in terms of propagation velocity it resembles a nuclear reaction). An explosion of tremendous power, capable of throwing tons of soil.
Yamal funnel and the Bermuda Triangle
Recently, geologists have discovered: such situations are characteristic not only of 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 are due to methane. Presumably, there are vast accumulations of hydrate on the seabed in this area. Only here the gas is not frozen, but compressed by tremendous pressure.
During shifts of the Earth's crust, earthquakes, large volumes of methane rushing to the surface are released. Water changes its properties, is filled with tiny bubbles, like champagne, and loses its density. As a result, the ships ceases to hold, and they sink. Once in the atmosphere, methane also changes its properties, disrupting the operation of aircraft.
Today
The Yamal black hole is no longer such. Over the years, it was filled with melt water and gradually merges with the nearby lake. The process was accompanied by active thawing and destruction of the coast.
More interesting are the testimonies of several eyewitnesses who described the formation of a funnel in 2016. A new Yamal failure occurred on July 5 west of the village of Seyakha and resembled the eruption of a giant geyser. A powerful steam surge 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 this area. It is known for very deep "crater" lakes, reminiscent of the famous Yamal hole. The depth of one of the champions is 71 m. Moreover, old-timers recall that such emissions occurred earlier and were even accompanied by fiery flashes.
Disappointing conclusions
Impressive methane hydrate deposits are scattered throughout the planet. Climate warming can provoke 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 living things. Therefore, the Yamal black hole is an important object for research.
Record temperatures of 2015-2016 provoked the formation of new smaller funnels. They are all located in the same climate zone. So, it is precisely the rapid thawing of permafrost that is the root cause of their occurrence.
Alternative opinion
Not everyone supports the harmonious theory of scientists. First of all, critics note the unnaturally smooth edges of the crater, which with a powerful methane emission should have been covered with cracks. They are also surprised by the small volume of rock ejected by the explosion.
Perhaps the Yamal crater is the result of the Larmor effect, i.e., the effect of the solar wind in the polar regions on the earth's surface. A stream of charged particles, meeting with the landscape, melts ice, forming ring structures of ideal shape. If gas or hydrate accumulated in cracks occurs in the paths of currents induced by cosmic particles, it is squeezed to the edges of the larmor. Failure scholars do not rule out this theory.
However, one does not have to doubt the natural origin of the phenomenon. The peninsula is literally dotted with small saucer lakes of considerable depth. Obviously, they formed similarly to the Yamal failure. According to studies, such processes took place 8,000 years ago and again intensified due to climate change.