--- title: "Scientists Attempt to Explain Craters Exploding Out of the Earth" description: "These suddenly exploding craters in Siberia could be caused by a build up of hot gas and rising temperatures due to climate change." date: "2024-01-16" modified: "2024-01-16" authors: - name: "Frank Landymore" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/flandymore" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/craters-exploding-out-earth" categories: - "Climate Change" - "Environment" - "Science & Energy" tags: - "climate change" - "craters" - "geology" - "the digest" --- # Scientists Attempt to Explain Craters Exploding Out of the Earth ![These suddenly exploding craters in Siberia could be caused by a build up of hot gas and rising temperatures due to climate change.]() *\Image: Vasily Bogoyavlensky / AFP via Getty / Futurism\* ## Crater Creator Sudden and violent explosions have been leaving behind massive craters in the permafrost of Siberia — [some]() nearly 70 feet wide and over 170 feet deep. The phenomenon has puzzled scientists since the first of these exploding craters were discovered back in 2012. Now, a team of researchers claim to have solved the mystery. Their [new study](), which is yet to be peer reviewed but available online, pins the blame on a huge build up of hot natural gas beneath the permafrost, which bursts through the region's once impermeable layer of frozen earth thanks to rising temperatures above the surface. "Climate change is likely the triggering factor, but it happens there because you have the thinning of the permafrost due to the gas," lead author Helge Hellevang at the University of Oslo in Norway [told *New Scientist*](). What's more, these exploding craters could release vast amounts of unaccounted for methane emissions that drive global warming, in addition to damaging local oil and gas infrastructure. ## Gas Leak Until now, some scientists believed that these craters were caused by [methane released by the thawing permafrost]() itself. Hellevang argues that this doesn't explain why the explosions only occur in Siberia and Northern Russia, and not other regions of the Arctic. Beyond that, he adds that the permafrost wouldn't contain enough methane to produce explosions of this scale. Instead, the researchers suggest that the methane is coming from hot natural gas released deep in the Earth, possibly from a geological fault. As the gas builds up, it gradually thaws the permafrost, with rising temperatures above the surface joining to weaken it further. The result is that the gas suddenly breaks through, an awesome rupture that blasts earth and ice hundreds of feet in every direction. "I think their idea makes sense," Lauren Schurmeir at the University of Hawai'i, who has also [published research on the craters]() but was not involved in the study, told *New Scientist*. ## Plot Holes Still, there are a few caveats. Schurmeir points out that Helvelang's work isn't backed up by observations on an actual crater, of which there are only eight discovered so far. She adds that there could also be multiple causes behind them. If the new research is correct, however, it could mean that the exploding craters are releasing huge amounts of methane, which is a [powerful greenhouse gas](). "If that's the standard way that large accumulations fail then you're dumping a lot of methane in a very short time," Thomas Birchall at the University of Svalbard, who recently [published a paper]() on methane trapped in Norway's permafrost, told *New Scientist*. Hellevang doesn't disagree, but cautions against overestimating the impact these explosions have. After all, few have been observed, and it's unclear how much methane could actually be escaping. With more research, hopefully "we can have a more realistic budget on how much can be released because of atmospheric heating or climate change," he [told *Business Insider*](). **More on:** *[Man Missing After Falling Into Crack in the Earth]()* ## Author At Futurism, my work has often centered on bringing a sense of clarity and insight to complex topics ranging from the regulation of emerging technologies to the esoteric ideologies of Silicon Valley executives, while striving not to lose the poetic sense of awe inspired by often-obscure fields like astrophysics and quantum computing. I broke the story of CNET using AI to produce articles that turned out to be riddled with factual errors and plagiarism — a dam-breaking inflection point, as I've reported, that's inspired copycats and endless discourse while beguiling stakeholders ranging from tech giants to purveyors of spam around the web. My work at Futurism has been cited by publications including CBS News, the Los Angeles Times, Vice, Gizmodo, Engadget, the Verge, and Vanity Fair. I grew up in locales ranging from India to China, and now live in the exotic suburbs of Virginia. In my free time, I'm an avid reader of weird sci-fi literature, an aficionado of East Asian cinema, and, regrettably, a relapsed gamer. Allegedly, I’m working on a debut novel, currently untitled. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()