Another enormous hole has been discovered in Russia, bringing the total now to three. Just last Friday, a hole was discovered in the Siberian Peninsula of Yamal, as reported by The Inquisitr. The first hole was discovered over two weeks ago.
The third hole — or crater — is located in the Taymyr Peninsula, and was discovered by reindeer herders that almost fell into the gargantuan hole. The funnel is almost a perfectly formed cone, say researchers according to the Daily Mail. Its depth is estimated to be between 200 to 330 feet deep, and its diameter is more than 13 feet across.
The new hole is smaller in diameter than the first two, but is similar in shape. One expert, according to The Siberian Times, said:
“It is not like this is the work of men, but also does not look like natural formation.”
The first hole found was the largest at nearly 230 feet deep, and experts note that there’s an icy lake at its bottom. There is a darkening around the rim of the crater which indicates to scientists the evidence of heat, possibly from an explosion during the hole’s creation. Reportedly, the structure is so fragile that scientists didn’t dare repel down into the hole, sending a remote camera down instead.
Dozens of theories as to the cause of the holes were expressed by scientists and the public at large after the initial appearance of the holes. Those theories ranged from meteorites, stray missiles, aliens, to an explosive cocktail of shale or methane gas.
The likely cause of the holes, however, is probably not so exciting. One researcher told The Siberian Times:
“The version about melting permafrost due to climate change, causing a release of methane gas, which then forces an eruption is the current favorite [theory].”
The explosion elements to the theories have been posed because of fresh earth that has been thrown to the edges of the holes. However, “explosion” might be the wrong word.
Dr. Andrey Plekhanov, senior researcher at the Russian Scientific Center of Arctic Research said:
“I want to stress that this was not an explosion but an ejection, so there was no heat released when it happened.”
If that is true, then what of the dark stains near the rims of the holes that were previously attributed to heat stains? For now, at least, that mystery, and the mystery of how the Russian holes were created, remain unsolved.
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link to www.inquisitr.com]
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link to www.inquisitr.com]
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