We're one step closer to finding out why Siberia is riddled with exploding craters

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By Sascha Pare, LiveScience. 

Excerpt: A new physical model suggests meltwater from thawing permafrost on Russia's Yamal Peninsula can unlock methane sources at depth, triggering explosions that open enormous craters at the surface. ...craters measure 160 feet (50 meters) deep and up to 230 feet (70 m) across, and first appeared on Russia's northern Yamal and Gydan peninsulas in 2014. Chunks of rock and ice strewn across the landscape around the craters indicated they were caused by giant explosions. These strange craters have never been found elsewhere in the Arctic. ...the explosions could trigger a climate feedback loop leading to huge releases of the powerful greenhouse gas methane.... 

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