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[xoggoth]

So what is this giant hole?

Giant hole appears at 'the end of the world' in Siberia - Europe - World - The Independent

A sinkhole would not leave that raised mound of debris around it surely? My theory, its a huge prehistoric worm. Bram Stoker was right!

[Troll]

Hollow Earth


HTH

[barrydidit]

So what is this giant hole?

AndyW's mum? no, wait...

A sinkhole would not leave that raised mound of debris around it surely? My theory, its a huge prehistoric worm. Bram Stoker was right!

You're thinking of that film tremors

[barrydidit]

It's either a massive cavern underneath, or it's a discreet hole with water in. I'd favour the latter. I don't think its a sinkhole, they tend to form by disolving carboniferous rock - there's standing water next to this feature. It looks too neat to be a meteor strike, plus it would likely have been detected via other means. It does look from the picture like the matter around the hole has been ejected from it, so the gas explosion seems feasible, even though I doubt that wouldn't have been detected either.

Maybe zeity is responsible

[CloudWalker]

[scooterscot]

The way the earth surrounding the hole rises suggests something left the ground.

[xoggoth]

Maybe after umpteen billion years the Earth has reached puberty and developed a mating hole. Tomorrow we will wake up and find ourselves being bonked by Neptune.

[greenlake]

My theory, its a huge prehistoric worm.

[Bacchus]

I like this theory:-

Anna Kurchatova, from the Sub-Arctic Scientific Research Centre, told the Siberian Times global warming could be a cause.

She believes the hole was formed by a mixture of water, salt and gas, igniting an underground explosion.

The gas had accumulated in ice mixed with sand beneath the surface of what was a sea 10,000 years ago, and ignited when the permafrost melted “like popping a champagne bottle”, she claimed.

If her analysis is correct, another explosion could have worrying implications for the many underground gas pipelines running through the region.

So a giant gas bubble forms in the permafrost - this is the equivalent of the ice cube in your drink boiling on the inside - which, I concur would have worrying implications for the many underground gas pipelines... hang on! many underground gas pipelines...?!?!

[DaveB]

I like this theory:-



So a giant gas bubble forms in the permafrost - this is the equivalent of the ice cube in your drink boiling on the inside - which, I concur would have worrying implications for the many underground gas pipelines... hang on! many underground gas pipelines...?!?!

Wouldn't need to ignite. Gas could have built to significant pressure underground being kept in place by the permafrost. As the ground thawed it loses solidity and the gas pressure causes it to erupt.