Mystery crater appears at the 'end of the world'
A mysterious 'gigantic' hole has appeared over a gas-rich area in Siberia labelled the 'end of the world', prompting speculation over its origin.
Helicopter passengers travelling over Yamal, a region known for its devastating events, spotted the crater that is believed to be up to 80 metres wide.
According to The Siberian Times, engineer Konstantin Nikolaev uploaded the video to YouTube that sparked an investigation into where it came from.
While some speculated with rumours of extraterrestrial involvement, secret entrances to a 'hollow-Earth' and weapon test sites.
“We can definitely say that it is not a meteorite,” said a spokesman for Russia’s Emergencies Ministry.
Scientist Anna Kurchatova, from the Sub-Arctic Scientific Research Centre, says the cause of the giant crater may be from global warming.
She says that a mixture of water, salt and gas may have sparked an underground explosion or that a gas pocket may have built up enough pressure to cause an explosion.
Experts from Russia's Centre for the Study of The Arctic and the Cryosphere Institute of the Academy of Sciences have been sent to sample the conditions to determine the nature of the crater.
"A scientific team has been sent to investigate the hole and is due to arrive at the scene on Wednesday," The Siberian Times reports.
