A team of scientists from the Institute of Petroleum Geology and Geophysics of the Trofimuk Academy of Sciences of Siberia have determined that the “holes or craters at the end of the world” appeared in the Yamal Peninsula (Siberia) have been caused by climate change , specifically by the melting of gas hydrates and the emission of methane .
Both processes accumulate in an ice-covered mound of earth that later erupts , causing the formation of these particular and huge holes in the earth. According to experts “it is a warning sign of the existence of a deadly threat to the northern regions when their climate warms up,” the authors explain to The Siberian Times .
To reach this conclusion, the scientists monitored all those mounds or pingos about to explode, discovering that the temperatures of these craters have risen in recent decades, causing the release of gas hydrates .
According to experts, the process is similar to the Bermuda Triangle: “ We cannot underestimate the danger of methane affecting humans . Most gas hydrates are safely hidden, but there are territories where they begin to break down, ”explains Igor Yeltsov, leader of the research.
If global warming continues to grow at the same rate, the cities closest to this area will be in serious danger of “methane threat ” say scientists. Remember that once inhaled, methane irritates the entire nasal, oral, auditory and ocular mucosa, as well as the lungs. In the worst case scenario, the gas produces cardiac and respiratory arrests, causing death in the most sensitive sector (asthmatics, the elderly …) in just 72 hours after exposure.
