How global warming could turn Siberia into a giant crater ‘time bomb’ One expert said more eruptions could prove deadly, with estimates that the total explosive power of the craters has been the equivalent of about 11 tonnes of TNT. Larissa Kozhina, the head of the laboratory centre of hydrocarbon resources and reserves at energy firm Gazprom, said: The crater at Bovanenkovo is above the gas trap, where prospective reserves are estimated at 17 billion cubic meters. What does this mean? All fields, all pipelines and railway tracks could be affected by such dangerous objects behind them and should be monitored. Formed in a near-perfect cylinder, the Yamal crater is slightly wider at the surface and has smooth walls, with a frozen lake at the bottom. During recent examinations of the site, thawed out permafrost was found 200metres from the top of the crater. About a third of the crater is filled with water because of its melting walls and rain, and it is thought that within three years it will be almost full. Initially it was thought that by 2024 it will be difficult to see the 40 metres wide and 50 metres deep crater at all as it will be completely submerged by a lake. But Dr Leibman told the Siberian Times that the crater may already be under water from the melting ice by next year. She said: Judging by the pace, by the end of next summer it may turn into a lake. I once heard a theory that deep Yamal lakes were mostly the result of emissions of gas. Then I just laughed at it. Now I take back my laughter: I think that a lot of deep lakes on Yamal were formed in this way.siberiantimes/science/casestudy/news/n0076-how-global-warming-could-turn-siberia-into-a-giant-crater-time-bomb/
Posted on: Thu, 01 Jan 2015 21:00:46 +0000
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