home Healthy eating Scientists went down to the bottom of a crater formed in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug. Video: a funnel in Yamal grows, turning into a lake

Scientists went down to the bottom of a crater formed in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug. Video: a funnel in Yamal grows, turning into a lake

26.11.2015

From time to time our planet provides us with food for thought. One of them turned out to be a “hole” in the Earth, discovered by pilots in Yamal, the diameter of which was several hundred meters. This hole appeared not far from a large gas field - Bovanenkovskoye. And off we go.

People of science immediately began to argue about the origin of this failure. Professor Ivan Nesterov hypothesized that a crater was formed from a collision with a meteorite consisting of space ice, not burned up in the atmosphere. Viktor Grokhovsky, a great expert on meteorites, told him a decisive “no”.

The expedition that went to the site of the failure took various measurements. Scientists took a sample of soil and water from the crater itself. They didn't forget about the air. In their opinion, the failure not only formed, but the rock was thrown out. In this case, no burns or charring were recorded. The preliminary conclusion of the expedition members is as follows: the explosion occurred inside the permafrost. How can it be? Permafrost for many kilometers inside, and suddenly an explosion?

Such a failure on the edge of the earth - Yamal, it turns out, is far from the first on the planet. Similar failures have already been recorded before. In 2010, in the center of the capital of Guatemala, for no apparent reason, an entire garment factory collapsed in the blink of an eye. Then, a few kilometers from this “black hole” a new one formed. Scientists discovered that both failures were formed after hurricanes. But it’s warm there, and in Yamal there is eternal cold and frozen ground.

It would seem that there is no connection between these territories. But it turned out that there is. Only in hot areas do hurricanes rage outside, and in permafrost- inside. Drilling generates waste that is pumped into the ice. So they burst out, forming such craters. There were such disasters in both Northern and South America, in China, in New Zealand. And far from alone. In some cases, entire neighborhoods had to be evacuated.

In Brazil, more than a hundred houses instantly went underground. The reason here was the rain. But in our north there is more than one hole either. About five years ago, reindeer herders discovered a hole in the ground, the diameter of which was slightly smaller, but it appeared earlier than Bovanenkovsky. There were about five of them in total. And now it’s time for scientists to think about it. The pace of gas production in Yamal is growing, factories, villages, roads and other infrastructure for life are being built.

The task of scientists today is to eliminate natural surprises to a minimum. Without thorough research, it is difficult to predict further developments. Lest nature take revenge on some man-made disaster for our attitude towards her. But that's not all. Gas and oil production is carried out not only in the north, but also in Siberia. So, it can also be subject to cataclysms? Anything can happen, although I really wouldn’t want it. So what is the reason?

Both gas and oil have been produced for more than half a century, but holes only began to appear a few years ago. Scientists suggest that the reason is climate warming. Of course, the Arctic is more sensitive than the Siberian ecosystem. There is more ice and arctic permafrost there, and they are melting more intensely. Soils in permafrost are thawing, and this greatly worries scientists around the world. After all, climate change in our north entails climate change throughout the planet.

Now climatologists around the world are already confident that all the anomalies taking place in Asia, Europe, Africa, and America are caused by climate change and warming in our polar regions.
We should all think about the fact that nature does not forgive thoughtless interference in it. After all, it may be too late. And we must not forget about this. Much has already been done over the years when man considered himself the master and king of nature.

Yamal funnel [VIDEO]

Unusual a natural phenomenon Over the past 4 years, both scientists of the Russian Academy of Sciences and specialists in anomalous zones have been carefully studying it. Their area of interest was the mysterious sinkhole in Yamal, which appeared in September 2013, and its twin brothers, appearing throughout Siberia.

ALIENS' TRICKS?

The activity of researchers in studying this phenomenon is so high that today it is time to talk about the emergence of a new anomalous zone in Russia - the Yamal one. The fact is that the culprit behind the formation of the huge crater (and it reaches a diameter of more than 60 meters) is still not known for certain. Meanwhile, not far from the first sinkhole, located 30 kilometers from the village of Bovanenkovo, several more similar sinkholes have recently appeared in the soil. Everyone is seriously concerned about the strange phenomenon - from ufologists to geologists and geophysicists of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. And the versions of official scientists and alternative researchers are radically different.

The ufological community, as one would expect, suggests that the craters in Yamal owe their appearance to aliens, or more precisely, to their aircraft. Researchers have suggested that underground there are some mothballed underground spaceports from which UFOs finally launched, and holes in the ground are their launch pads. It is clear that the employees of the Earth Cryosphere Institute fundamentally disagree with ufologists. They officially stated that the giant craters are a consequence of natural geological activity. So natural? But no. Scientists reluctantly note that there is a very serious natural anomaly. And it is expressed in unusual chemical composition water at the bottom mysterious sinkholes, as well as the massive release of methane from cavities in the earth’s crust.

DIVE INTO MYSTERY

It is noteworthy that on the eve of the appearance of the Yamal funnel, local reindeer herders, according to media reports, observed a large celestial body at night. Huge fire ball, after hanging above the ground for several seconds, it exploded. The tundra was illuminated by a bright flash. The soil from the explosion was scattered over several tens and even hundreds of meters. And the next morning, at this place, the reindeer herders discovered a giant crater in the ground. According to scientists who studied this phenomenon, the funnel turned out to be so wide that a cargo helicopter could freely descend into it. To confirm or refute numerous versions about the origin of the hole, scientists decided to organize a descent into its depths. The first attempts to reach the bottom were unsuccessful: the internal walls constantly collapsed. When the researchers finally went to the bottom, they were able to take samples of water and ice. Isotope analysis and other laboratory studies of the samples taken made it possible to fairly accurately determine the nature of the formation of the crater. And the conclusions drawn seriously frightened scientists.

WHEN WILL THE PERMAFROST BURST?

According to researchers, this funnel will eventually turn into one of the lakes, of which there are already many in the tundra. However, the ufological version of the formation of the Yamal funnel has nothing to do with it at all. Here, even without aliens, problems grow like a snowball. Because scientists have come to the conclusion that the appearance of such craters will entail a gigantic natural disaster in the region. So.

According to employees of the Institute of the Earth's Cryosphere of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the crater was formed due to the explosion of swamp gas accumulated in an underground cavity. Soon after the first, a second similar funnel appeared. There are a few more in line. And the most unpleasant thing is that the entire region is literally filled with gas fields and gas pipelines. If explosions in places where underground gases accumulate become avalanche-like, it is difficult to calculate what financial and environmental consequences this may have. But that's only half the story. Scientists are confident that all this is directly related to climate warming. The frozen rocks became less dense, and shale gas flowed through them. When a critical mass accumulated, an explosion occurred. Already today in Yamal, due to the retreat of permafrost, the appearance of more than 200 blue lakes, which did not exist before, is noted! At the same time, holes and failures form in the ground. So, in addition to the already described funnel in Yamal, the Batagai crater is no less famous here, referred to by local residents as the “gate to hell.”

IF THE MONSTERS WAKE UP

The sudden melting of permafrost in the light of the formation of several thousand methane bubbles can take on an avalanche-like character. In this case, humanity will face another terrible threat - unknown viruses that will be released from under the ice. Considering that the strains of these viruses are millions of years old, there are, of course, no vaccines for them, and how quickly they can be created is unknown. Today, in permafrost there are the remains of a huge number of prehistoric animals, ancient people, fossil plants, and along with them, hidden in secret, are strains of diseases that affected these creatures hundreds of thousands of years ago. According to scientists, even yogurt placed in permafrost will remain edible after hundreds of thousands of years if it is thawed. What can we say about ancient viruses and bacteria to which people have no immunity!

And the problems have already begun. In 2016 in Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug A sudden outbreak of anthrax killed 2,300 deer, and there were also cases of human infection. And since it was believed that anthrax had been dealt with once and for all, vaccination against this disease was stopped in 2007. According to scientists, this time the cause of this disease was a pathogen that managed to survive in the body of a deer that died of anthrax 75 years ago. Last year there was an anomaly in the region warm summer, the animal's body thawed and the virus was released.

It’s scary to even imagine what will happen during a large-scale retreat of permafrost. For example, in Kolyma there is a mass grave of people who died from a smallpox outbreak in the 19th century. It is unclear how its strain will behave during sudden warming. And the worst thing is that humanity is powerless against this threat. All that remains is to closely monitor the situation and be prepared for any turn of events.

BERMUDA TRIANGLE EFFECT

It is curious that scientists call the release of large amounts of methane from the earth’s crust the Bermuda Triangle effect. If in Yamal methane began to explode as a result of global warming, then in the sea everything is happening a little differently.

In this case, the gas is not frozen, but compressed under high pressure in the voids under the bottom of the sea or ocean. When cracks form in the earth's crust and gas begins to escape, the water instantly changes its natural properties. It begins to bubble, bubbles rise to the surface of the sea. At the same time, the water loses its density, and the ships instantly sink to the bottom for no apparent reason. Once in the atmosphere, methane continues its dirty business, disrupting the operation of aircraft. For this reason, planes and helicopters flying over the methane bubbles of Yamal, ready to explode at any minute, are at great risk.

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

Descent into the Yamal funnel. Photo by: Vladimir Pushkarev (NP “Russian Center for Arctic Development”)

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

Descent to the bottom of the Yamal funnel. Photo by: Vladimir Pushkarev (NP “Russian Center for Arctic Development”)

Yamal funnel. Photo by: Vladimir Pushkarev (NP “Russian Center for Arctic Development”)

The expedition did not discover the presence of any toxic gases at the bottom of the crater. Selected rock samples from the Yamal funnel will be subjected to laboratory analysis.

At the bottom of the Yamal funnel. Photo by: Vladimir Pushkarev (NP “Russian Center for Arctic Development”)

Yamal funnel. View from the bottom. Photo by: Vladimir Pushkarev (NP “Russian Center for Arctic Development”)

Sampling in the Yamal funnel. Photo by: Vladimir Pushkarev (NP “Russian Center for Arctic Development”)

One of the samples. Photo by: Vladimir Pushkarev (NP “Russian Center for Arctic Development”)

Some scientists (RAS Academician Vladimir Melnikov) believe that the cause of the formation of the sinkhole is global warming.

VIDEO: a sinkhole in Yamal grows, turning into a lake

A giant sinkhole in Yamal, discovered last year near the Bovanenkovskoye gas field, continues to grow in size. At the same time, it fills with water and becomes a lake.

A giant sinkhole in the area of the Bovanenkovskoye field in Yamal, discovered last summer, began to turn into a lake, as scientists predicted.

During the next expedition, experts found that over the past winter and spring the funnel was filled with water by about ten meters, and this process continues, according to the website of the government of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug.

Previously, scientists expressed the opinion that in a couple of years this funnel will turn into one of the tundra lakes, of which there are many in Yamal and which, as scientists assume, have a similar origin. At the same time, the nature of the appearance of the craters themselves is not reliably clear.

After the current expedition, the curator of scientific research, deputy director for scientific work of the Institute of Oil and Gas Problems, corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Vasily Bogoyavlensky, hypothesized that the funnel is of thermogas origin, like most round-shaped tundra lakes on the peninsula.

Such processes occur in areas where paleo-permafrost exists and underground ice, and in connection with global warming heaving mounds form in these territories, the academician explained.

“These hills, reaching up to two kilometers in diameter and many tens of meters in height, look very exotic against the backdrop of the tundra flat terrain. Gradually, these objects are under the influence high temperatures collapse and form craters. However, a year ago, in connection with the formation of the Yamal crater, we learned that they can also explode,” the government portal quotes him.

Scientists have also found that the crater is growing: its depth is now about 50 meters, and the base of the crater is falling apart right before our eyes, the Yamal Region TV company reports.

Two-thirds of the funnel’s space is occupied by melt and rain water, scientists take tests, and special sensors are lowered to the bottom of the funnel. The results show that the object is unpredictable, and going deep into the crater is dangerous, the report says.

The television company also published on the Internet a video it shot, which depicts the same swelling mounds, future craters that Bogoyavlensky spoke about.

A giant crater in the area of the Bovanenkovskoye field in Yamal grows and becomes a lake

The public and regional authorities learned about the “Bovanenkovo” funnel on July 10, 2014, when a recording from a helicopter appeared on YouTube, in which one could see a huge basin formed 30 kilometers from the Bovanenkovo oil and gas condensate field near the floodplain of the Mordy-Yakha River.

Governor of Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug Dmitry Kobylkin ordered to carry out Scientific research this phenomenon. Last year, three expeditions were organized to the crater. It turned out that the diameter of the crater along the inner edge is approximately 40 meters, along the outer edge - 60 meters.

During the initial study, scientists from the Arctic Research Center and the Earth Cryosphere Institute considered that the crater is of natural origin and is not the result of any man-made impact, such as an explosion or meteorite fall, local authorities reported.

During expeditions in July and August last year, constant collapses of the internal walls of the crater prevented full research and sampling. Only in November, when the ground was thoroughly frozen, were scientists able to descend into it for the first time, examine the inside of the crater and take samples of soil and ice for chemical and isotope analyses.

In addition to the descent, a special probe carried out ground penetrating radar of the crater to a depth of 200 meters in order to obtain its visual structure and create a 3D model, and in the future to help predict the occurrence of this natural phenomenon.

The scientific team did not detect any dangerous radiation at the site of the crater. Scientists came to the conclusion that the funnel is the result of “a certain natural phenomenon, which is impossible to define without detailed research.” According to one version, the giant crater could have been formed as a result of pneumatic pop caused by the decomposition of gas hydrates.

“This is a purely mechanical release, which most likely occurred due to an increase in pressure during freezing and a change in the volume of a certain cavity in which there were reserves of swamp gas,” said a participant in the research, chief Researcher Institute of the Earth's Cryosphere, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences Marina Leibman.

Meanwhile, Anton Sinitsky, a participant in the study, head of the geological sector of integrated research at Gazprom VNIIGAZ LLC, compared the Yamal sinkhole with the Bermuda Tegon. According to him, there is a connecting link between them - gas hydrates, which are methane atoms in a stable state in a water molecule and are in a frozen state, Komsomolskaya Pravda wrote.

“Outwardly, it looks like a piece of ice,” Sinitsky told reporters after the November expedition. “At the bottom of the world’s oceans, such gas hydrates lie in the form of layers and flakes. But no one knows how to extract them. One of the working versions of the Bermuda Triangle is that "In its area, these gas hydrates lie at the bottom. Something happens and their calm is disturbed. As a result, methane begins to actively be released, the water boils, and its density falls. Accordingly, the ship simply cannot stay afloat any longer."

The Yamal sinkhole caused a great resonance in the information space, and not only in Russia. It was even included in the official trailer for the film "X-Men: Apocalypse": at the 11th second of the video the title “Yamal, Siberia” appears, and the voice-over says that scientists have not come to a consensus about the nature of the sinkholes.

Meanwhile, in July 2014, another similar crater was discovered in the Tazovsky district of the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, but smaller in size - its diameter is approximately 15 meters. She was found by reindeer herders 90 km from the village of Antipayuta and reported to the authorities. At the same time, reindeer herders claim that in September 2013, a certain celestial body fell in this area, after which an outbreak occurred.

Scientists have been carefully studying this unusual natural phenomenon for the past four years. Russian Academy Sci. Their area of interest was the mysterious sinkhole in Yamal, which appeared in September 2013, as well as its “twin brothers” emerging throughout Siberia.

Natural anomaly or alien tricks?

Considering the activity of researchers in studying the unusual formation, we can talk about the emergence in Russia of a new anomalous zone - the Yamal. The culprit behind the formation of a huge crater more than sixty meters wide is still not known for certain. Moreover, not far from the first crater, located thirty kilometers from the village of Bovanenkovo, several more similar sinkholes recently appeared. It should be noted that if, in most cases, scientists look condescendingly at the study by enthusiasts of the so-called anomalous zones, then in this case geologists and geophysicists of the SB RAS show serious concern. Recently, the ufological community put forward its version of the formation of mysterious craters. In their opinion, the Yamal craters in the Earth owe their origin to... aliens, or rather their aircraft. Researchers have suggested that the craters are nothing more than mothballed underground spaceports from which the UFO launched. However, employees of the Earth Cryosphere Institute do not agree with this opinion, officially stating that the giant craters are a consequence of natural geological activity. At the same time, scientists reluctantly note that a rather serious natural anomaly still exists. It is expressed in the unusual chemical composition of the water located at the bottom of the mysterious sinkholes, as well as the massive release of methane from cavities in the earth’s crust.

Dive into mystery

It is noteworthy that before the appearance of the Yamal funnel, local reindeer herders, according to media reports, observed a large spherical celestial body the night before. A huge fireball, hanging over the Earth for several seconds, exploded. The tundra was illuminated by a bright flash. The soil from the explosion was scattered over several tens and even hundreds of meters. Subsequently, at the site of the explosion, reindeer herders discovered a crater in the Earth, whose internal diameter was about 60 meters. According to scientists who studied this phenomenon, the funnel is so wide that a cargo helicopter can freely descend into it. It is not surprising that in order to confirm or refute numerous versions of the origin of the Yamal funnel, it was decided to organize the descent of scientists into it. The first attempts to reach the bottom of the funnel were unsuccessful: its internal walls constantly collapsed. When scientists finally reached the bottom of the Yamal crater, they were able to take samples of water and ice for isotope analysis. Laboratory studies of the samples made it possible to quite accurately determine the nature of the formation of the crater. The data from these studies seriously frightened scientists.

When will permafrost burst?

According to their researchers, this funnel will eventually turn into one of the tundra lakes, of which there are many here. At the same time, the ufological version of the formation of the Yamal funnel, except for a strange glow and subsequent explosion, does not have any factual confirmation. The opinion of scientists about the nature of the appearance of this funnel already threatens this region with a gigantic natural disaster. According to employees of the Institute of the Earth's Cryosphere of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the crater was formed due to the explosion of swamp gas accumulated in an underground cavity. Soon after the first, a second similar funnel appeared. There are a few more in line. At the same time, the most unpleasant thing is that this region is literally packed with gas fields and gas pipelines. If such explosions and accumulations of underground gases take on an avalanche-like character, it is difficult to calculate what financial and environmental consequences this may have. But that's only half the story. Scientists are confident that the increased frequency of explosions and the appearance of craters in Yamal is due to the consequences of climate warming. Already today, Yamal is celebrating the appearance of more than 200 blue lakes due to the retreat of permafrost, which did not exist before. At the same time, holes and failures form in the ground. In addition to the already described funnel, the Batagai crater is known in Yamal, called by local residents the “gate to hell.”

Death Bubbles

Today, scientists have counted more than 7,000 methane bubbles ready to explode at any minute. If this process begins, it threatens to turn into a large-scale natural disaster. In addition to fires and soil failures, methane entering the atmosphere will significantly increase climate warming in the region, as well as a significant reduction in oxygen in the atmosphere. What this threatens is well known from the example of the Permian mass extinction, which occurred about 252 million years ago. Then, as today, the global thawing of permafrost began. Entered the atmosphere a large number of methane from the earth's crust. As a result, 96% of everyone on the planet died out marine species and 73% land. Something similar could happen today.

When will the ancient monsters wake up?

At the same time, in the event of a sharp melting of permafrost, humanity will face another terrible threat - unknown viruses that can be released from under the ice. Considering that the stamps of these viruses are millions of years old, there are no vaccines against them. How quickly they can be created is not known. Today, in permafrost there are the remains of a huge number of historical animals, ancient people, fossil plants, and along with them stamps of diseases that affected these creatures hundreds of thousands of years ago. Moreover, the problems have already begun. In 2016 in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug from a sudden outbreak Anthrax 2,300 deer died, and people were also infected. According to scientists, the causative agent of the disease was a pathogen that managed to survive in the body of a deer that died from this disease many years ago. Last year, the animal's body thawed and the pathogen escaped. It’s scary to even imagine what will happen with a large-scale retreat of permafrost...