Scientists may have finally solved the mystery with the giant craters launching soil and ice in western Siberia.

These craters, known as giant gas emission craters (GEC), were first found in the 2012 Yamal and Gidan Peninsulas in 2012 and reach up to 54 meters deep.

For over a decade, researchers have been trying to explain how these giant holes have emerged, with theories ranging from meteor bumps to gas bursts.

However, a new study offers a more thorough explanation for the creation of mysterious craters. It was played by two factors that are unique in the Yamal and Gidan peninsula – their huge gas reserves and accelerated heating due to climate change.

According to the new theory, published in the journal Science of the Total Environment, these craters are formed when gas and heat rise from the bottom of the earth.

The gas goes up and creates pressure, while the heat melts permanently frozen ground, causing an explosive collapse of the “roof” and creating a large hole.

crater

“GECs have so far been observed only in the Yamal and Gidan peninsula, suggesting that some peculiarities in this area can only spark the formation here, and not elsewhere in the huge arctic zone of permanently frozen soil,” the researchers said.