A few weeks ago scientists reported the finding of an immense 260-foot wide crater in the northern Siberian area of Yamal, which they say occurred due to climate change. Yesterday, the Siberian Times reported that two similar holes were found in different areas of Siberia.
One of the new craters was found on the Yamal Peninsula about a few hundred kilometers from the original and the other is located on the Taymyr Peninsula, which is east of Yamal. Local residents and herders discovered these formations and geologists, ecologists, and historians are looking to arrive at a consensus as to how they may have formed. The first discovered crater, according to scientists from International Arctic Research Center and Sub-Arctic Scientific Research Center, was caused by the releasing of gases beneath the Earth's surface due to global warming.
The new crater on the Yamal Peninsula was discovered by local residents near the village of Antipayuta and has a diameter of 15 meters (50 feet). The locals, who claimed the hole formed on September 27, 2013, provided different testaments as to how it formed, including, "initially the place was smoking, and then there was a bright flash," and "a celestial body fell there," according to the Siberian Times.
As for the one on the Taymyr Peninsula, local herders claimed they almost fell into the hole upon its discovery. They took pictures of the crater, which is estimated between 60-100 meters deep with a four-meter (13-foot) diameter, and sent them to scientists at the Norilsk Taimyr Explorers' Club. These locals did not provide accounts for the formation of the crater, but are stymied by its 'perfectly formed cone' shape.
Scientists at the Earth Cryosphere Institute have been studying the original 262-foot wide crater on the Yamal Peninsula for the past couple of weeks, and now it's likely they'll shift their attention to the other two holes to see if they can provide further insight into the formation of the original.
'Undoubtedly, we need to study all such formations," said Marina Leibman, chief scientist at the Earth Cyrosphere Institute, in this Daily Mail article. "It is necessary to be able to predict their occurrence. Each new funnel provides additional information for scientists."
You can read more about the craters in Siberia via this Siberian Times article.
