More mysterious craters spotted in Siberia

Last year researchers were at a loss to explain several large craters found deep in the rugged Yamal Peninsula in northern Siberia. Now satellite imagery has found several more and geologists feel they may be the tip of the iceberg:

"I am sure that there are more craters on Yamal, we just need to search for them... I suppose there could be 20 to 30 craters more," Prof. Vasily Bogoyavlensky ... "It is important not to scare people, but to understand that it is a very serious problem and we must research this."

Researchers ventured deep inside one of the holes last November, collecting data in an effort to learn why the holes formed. The leading theory is that the holes were created by gas explosions triggered by underground heat or by rising air temperatures associated with climate change, the Siberian Times reported last December.

The idea is that melting permafrost allows the build-up of water and methane gas below the surface, causing a large upward deformation often referred to as a Pingo. If the top collapses or somehow blows off, a deep, funnel-like crater is left behind. More study is needed, but at this early juncture we have to consider the possibility that these volatile methane-laced Pingos, or methangos as I like to call them, are absolutely a sign of widespread Arctic warming. Scientists will be watching for more of them this spring and, hopefully, we will soon catch one in the process of forming.