80-Meter-Wide Hole Found in Northern Siberia Baffles Scientists [VIDEO]

A sudden 262-feet-wide hole in a gas field in northern Siberia has baffled scientists.

The mysterious crater was first spotted by a helicopter pilot and his oil industry passengers in a remote part of northern Siberia in the area of Yamal, which translates to 'end of the world'. A team of scientists has arrived in the region to investigate the crater and debunk all wild theories of aliens floating around.

Scientists have proposed several theories as to how the crater appeared, but the exact cause is not known yet.

One theory is global warming may have caused the large opening in the gas field in Bovanenkovo, according to Siberian Times. Additional theories point to a cosmic object mostly a meteorite that might have hit Earth or simply that it is a sinkhole that occurred due to rocks collapsing underneath.

Anna Kurchatova from Sub-Arctic Scientific Research Centre believes that the crater was formed by due to an explosive mix of water, salt and gas, all due to global warming. The scientists are confident that they will soon provide a scientific explanation for the mysterious hole

"Certainly from the images I've seen, it looks like a periglacial feature, perhaps a collapsed pingo," said Dr. Chris Fogwill, a polar scientist at the University of New South Wales. Pingos are blocks of ice that deposit on hills of frozen Arctic landscape. "This is obviously a very extreme version of that, and if there's been any interaction with the gas in the area, that is a question that could only be answered by going there."

Although the mysterious hole was spotted just last week, scientists believe that the hole has been there for over two years, according to certain media reports.

The giant hole is dark in color. The Russian TV network Zvezda TV reported that the dark color of the crater reveals the occurrence of some 'temperature processe'. While others believe that scorch marks are an indication that some form of burning caused the hole.

To find a definite answer to this, the team will collect samples of soil, water and air from the crater and carry an in depth analysis. Russia's Emergencies Ministry will accompany the team this is challenging task.