Sinkholes

Back in 2014 the Yamal Peninsula made headlines across the world when a huge sinkhole appeared in the northern tundra. Over about a year it gradually filled up with water and now looks no different from any of the other 50,000 lakes on the peninsula. However, since then 17 such sinkholes have appeared. The latest appeared in summer 2020 and is about twenty metres wide.

Scientists have come to the conclusion that they are caused by methane gas building up under the surface. Gradually the ground is pushed upwards to form unusual-looking hills that you often see throughout the tundra. When the underground pressure reaches about 12 atmospheric pressures, the hill simply explodes, leaving a sinkhole behind.

It is likely that the situation is being exacerbated by global warming. As more of the permafrost melts, it releases methane gas that was previously trapped within it. This eventually leads to more explosions of the type described

 

above. Some of the previous sinkholes have appeared not far from gas pipelines delivering gas from the Bovanenkovo site to Europe. This has understandably led to some worry on the part of the gas industry that future explosions may damage their infrastructure.

We can organise trips to visit these spectacular sinkholes, including the most recently formed. However, please be aware that most of them are located in extremely remote areas. Visiting them requires either a lot of overland travel by expensive all-terrain vehicle or a privately rented helicopter. We can of course organise both of these. However, due to the level of expense involved, this is most likely to be of interest to researchers and film crews.

Visits to the Yamal Peninsula sinkholes are not included on any of our standard itineraries. Please get in contact with us directly if you would like to enquire about visiting them. They can be combined with a visit to an encampment of nomadic Nenets reindeer herders.

Back in 2014 the Yamal Peninsula made headlines across the world when a huge sinkhole appeared in the northern tundra. Over about a year it gradually filled up with water and now looks no different from any of the other 50,000 lakes on the peninsula. However, since then 17 such sinkholes have appeared. The latest appeared in summer 2020 and is about twenty metres wide.

Scientists have come to the conclusion that they are caused by methane gas building up under the surface. Gradually the ground is pushed upwards to form unusual-looking hills that you often see throughout the tundra. When the underground pressure reaches about 12 atmospheric pressures, the hill simply explodes, leaving a sinkhole behind.

It is likely that the situation is being exacerbated by global warming. As more of the permafrost melts, it releases methane gas that was previously trapped within it. This eventually leads to more explosions of the type described above.

Some of the previous sinkholes have appeared not far from gas pipelines delivering gas from the Bovanenkovo site to Europe. This has understandably led to some worry on the part of the gas industry that future explosions may damage their infrastructure.

We can organise trips to visit these spectacular sinkholes, including the most recently formed. However, please be aware that most of them are located in extremely remote areas. Visiting them requires either a lot of overland travel by expensive all-terrain vehicle or a privately rented helicopter. We can of course organise both of these. However, due to the level of expense involved, this is most likely to be of interest to researchers and film crews.

Visits to the Yamal Peninsula sinkholes are not included on any of our standard itineraries. Please get in contact with us directly if you would like to enquire about visiting them. They can be combined with a visit to an encampment of nomadic Nenets reindeer herders.