Holes in Siberia (What the heck caused these?)

These things are sort of freaky. Maybe due to underground Soviet nuclear testing? There are areas out in the Nevada desert full of craters due to nuclear testing in the 50s and 60s. But the U.S. craters aren't that deep, so I dunno. :shrug:

 
Considering there is lower level material scattered around the edges of the hole, it's most likely a "blowhole" of sorts. Probably some kind of trapped gas undergoing pressure changes.

 
I scanned the articles so I didn't read thoroughly. But, I didn't see any dates as far as how long these have been there. I read somewhere where herdsmen discovered the holes. OK. were these discovered last week? Last year? 50 years ago?

 
I've read the biggest is thought to have been there a couple years, the larger of the new ones was first noticed September of 2013. They're close together, I think, the smallest new one is quite a ways away, if memory serves. Also keep in mind this region is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, gas reserve for the country. Hmm...really not much of a mystery here in terms of what the basic cause is (but hey, "mysteries" make for better news, right? More clicks = more $$). Now the mechanics and root cause are another issue.

 
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