Giant 100 metre-wide crater appears in isolated Russian region of Yamal

TheGuardian: Scientists to take samples from hole found near gas field after speculation crater was caused by underground explosion

Researchers are to investigate a giant hole that has appeared in one ofRussia's most isolated northernmost regions, state television reported.

It was unclear what had caused the crater, about 100 metres in diameter.

It was filmed from the air in Yamal – which means "the end of the Earth" in the local Nenets language – where temperatures plummet to -50C and the sun barely rises in winter.

An expedition to collect soil and water samples from the site was planned for Thursday, with two researchers from the Siberian-based Centre for the Study of the Arctic and a scientist from Russia's Academy of Science, state news outlet Vesti reported.

TV Zvezda, broadcast by Russia's Defence Ministry, quoted the person who took the video footage as saying the hole appeared to have been caused from below and that the darker soil around its top indicated the effect of high temperatures.

Yamal, inhabited by indigenous reindeer herders, is one of Russia's richest regions in natural gas. The hole was found near the Bovanenkovo gas field, leading to speculation that it could have been caused by an underground explosion.