Mystery of the Siberian Tundra: Sudden Explosions Creating Giant Craters and Their Climate Impact
For several years, the Siberian tundra has baffled scientists with its mysterious ability to form enormous craters deep within permafrost.
The first such crater was discovered on the Yamal Peninsula in 2014, when a sudden hole over 50 meters deep appeared.
Since then, researchers have recorded more than a dozen similar formations across Yamal and Gydan Peninsulas, linking their formation to climate change effects in the region.
However, many questions remained unanswered: what exactly triggers these explosions, and why do they occur exclusively in this region despite widespread Arctic warming? The recent study sheds new light on these phenomena, suggesting underlying geological processes driven by permafrost melting and gas release beneath the surface.