Thousands Of Underground Gas Bubbles Could Explode Anytime, Threaten Residents In Siberia

First Posted: Mar 22, 2017 03:47 AM EDT

The regions of Yamal and Gydan in Siberia have about 7,000 underground gas bubbles that could explode anytime now. These could put the residents of the said areas in danger.

Alexey Titovsky, the director of the Yamal Department for Science and Innovation, said that the bubble known as "bulgunyakh" in the local Yakut language explodes and releases gas. He further said that this is how the massive funnels are shaped. These "pockmarks" in the ground are then associated with the huge sinkholes and craters across Siberia, according to Science Alert.

Scientists have discovered 7000 gas filled bubbles according to the Siberian Times.

Yikes, the permafrost is... https://t.co/DOFfRowFPJ

— chas jewett (@chazjewett) March 22, 2017

The bubbles approximately have 1,000 times more methane and 25 times more CO2 than the surrounding air, according to a study conducted last year. The study also indicated that climate change is the chief culprit.

7,000 Underground Gas Bubbles in Siberia Are About to Explodehttps://t.co/oue1swbKKj — Mad Hatter (@Shirley_I_Jest) March 22, 2017

A spokesperson for the Russian Academy of Science stated that their appearance at increasing altitudes is associated to thawing permafrost, which is linked to the rising temperature in the north of Eurasia during some last decades. It is theorized that the craters or the pockmarks shape when the "pingos," which are dome-shaped mounds covering ice, explode because of the pressure of methane gas that is discharged as the permafrost thaws, according to Huffington Post.

Currently, studies are now being conducted to examine this weird phenomenon and to identify which bubbles are dangerous to safeguard the residents. Titovsky said that they need to know which bumps are dangerous and which are not. He further said that the researchers are now working and identifying and structuring signs of potential threat. These include the highest height of a bump and pressure that the earth can endure.