Mystery as HUGE craters emerge in Russia: Scientist claims they are major warning to world
MYSTERIOUS giant craters 50ft wide have begun appearing in northern Siberia as temperatures rise in the region.
Giant 50ft craters are forming in Siberia as temperatures rise
The Russian province’s frozen ground, called permafrost, is said to be thawing due to a shift in temperature.
Dr Giddeon Henderson, professor of earth sciences at the University of Oxford told CNBC: “The last time we saw a permafrost melting was 130,000 years ago.
“It's a natural phenomenon because of changes in the earth's orbit. But what is definitely unprecedented is the rate of warming.
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“The warming that happened 130,000 years ago happened over thousands of years…What we see happening now is warming over decades or a century."
According to Dr Henderson, the thawing of the permafrost is having a profound impact on the climate and could have grave consequences.
Permafrosts act to regulate the amount of carbon in the environment by storing the carbon that humans release by burning fossil fuels.
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But in Siberia, the process has been reversed, causing significant changes to the area.
Dr Henderson added: “When [permafrosts] release carbon, it will accelerate the rate of warming in the future.”
The region is now home to several massive sinkholes, which first began appearing in 2014.
No one is certain how the craters are forged.
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However, some scientists suggest that the holes are formed by trapped gasses exploding.
Methane, a green house gas warms the planet more than carbon dioxide.
The impact of the craters are already being felt by residents in northern Siberian.
Dr Henderson said: “People in permafrost regions rely on frozen ground for their infrastructure. As the ground melts, the railway collapses, the roads fall apart, the buildings sink
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