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Thousands of huge ‘gas bubbles’ appear in the ground - and they’re about to explode

Picture TASS
Picture TASS

Thousands of huge bulges have appeared in the ground in Siberia – and scientists believe that up to 7,000 bubbles full of ancient gas about to explode.

The ‘bubbles’ are thought to be caused by global warming – which causes permafrost beneath the ground to thaw and release methane.

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When the vast bubbles explode, they leave large craters in the landscape – and may releasee methane gas into the atmosphere, according to the Siberian Times.

Alexey Titovsky, director of the Yamal department for science,: ‘At first such a bump is a bubble, or ‘bulgunyakh’ in the local Yakut language.

‘With time the bubble explodes, releasing gas. This is how gigantic funnels form.’

‘We need to know which bumps are dangerous and which are not.

‘Scientists are working on detecting and structuring signs of potential threat, like the maximum height of a bump and pressure that the earth can withstand.’

Bulging bumps in the Yamal and Gydan peninsulas believed to be caused by thawing permafrost releasing methane.

The Ural branch of Russian Academy of Science say, ‘Gas bubbles were discovered during a summer 2016 expedition to Bely island,’ said a spokesman.

‘Their appearance at such high latitudes is most likely linked to thawing permafrost which in is in turn linked to overall rise of temperature on the north of Eurasia during last several decades.’