--- title: Giant Hole in the Earth Appears in Yamal Peninsula of Siberia description: Helicopters spotted this mysterious hole in northern Russia on Tuesday and scientists are on their way to investigate the scene canonical: https://time.com/2992819/hole-siberia-yamal-peninsula/ author: Hannah Goldberg article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-07-16T18:01:00.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:11:45.105Z og:title: Giant Hole in the Earth Appears in Siberia og:description: Helicopters spotted this mysterious hole in northern Russia on Tuesday—Scientists are on their way to say to investigate the scene og:url: https://time.com/2992819/hole-siberia-yamal-peninsula/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt64ec5ddd0fe80beb/69869bf53bc99992f81a48cd/siberia-hole.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2441 og:image:height: 1373 og:image:alt: Siberia Giant Hole og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Giant Hole in the Earth Appears in Siberia twitter:description: Helicopters spotted this mysterious hole in northern Russia on Tuesday—Scientists are on their way to say to investigate the scene twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt64ec5ddd0fe80beb/69869bf53bc99992f81a48cd/siberia-hole.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # This Eerie Hole Opened Up at the 'End of the World' > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. It combines original reporting and analysis with the best of TIME, spanning politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=ed85655c-6057-47e3-843c-2328cc099833&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Daily | TIME, August 2026 | | Subscribers | 540,000 | TIME, August 2026 | | Open rate | 45.6% | TIME, August 2026 | | Click rate | 3.3% | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Richard Hall, Editor | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The informed consumer. A scaled audience of readers who turn to TIME to stay informed and make sense of the world, with meaningful reach across education and research, nonprofits and civic life, media and communications, government and public institutions, and business and professional services. ### TIME The Brief: key statements * The Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * The Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=ed85655c-6057-47e3-843c-2328cc099833&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/subscribe?i=ed85655c-6057-47e3-843c-2328cc099833&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's daily news newsletter? The Brief is TIME's daily newsletter, edited by Richard Hall. It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It reaches 540,000 subscribers with a 45.6% open rate as of August 2026. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. by [Hannah Goldberg](https://time.com/author/hannah-goldberg/) ## Hannah Goldberg Jul 16, 2014 6:01 PM UTC  by [Hannah Goldberg](https://time.com/author/hannah-goldberg/) ## Hannah Goldberg Jul 16, 2014 6:01 PM UTC Helicopters spotted this mysterious hole in northern Russia on Tuesday and scientists are on their way to investigate the scene, reports the [Siberian _Times_](http://siberiantimes.com/other/others/features/large-crater-appears-at-the-end-of-the-world/). The hole—estimated to be over 250ft wide—is located in the Yamal peninsula, a region affectionately meaning the “end of the world.” One scientist speculates that global warming in conjunction with natural gas lines may have caused the yawning cavity in the earth. Anna Kurchatova from Siberia’s Sub-Arctic Scientific Research Centre believes the crater was a result of an explosion when a mixture of water, salt and natural gas exploded underground. Global warming, she claims, has caused the permafrost in Siberia to melt at an accelerated rate, placing stress on the natural gas reserves. Yamal authorities are visiting the hole along with two scientists from the Centre for the Study of the Arctic and one from the Cryosphere Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences. \[[_Siberian Times_](http://siberiantimes.com/other/others/features/large-crater-appears-at-the-end-of-the-world/)\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/2992819/hole-siberia-yamal-peninsula/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/2992819/hole-siberia-yamal-peninsula/"},"headline":"This Eerie Hole Opened Up at the 'End of the World'","datePublished":"2014-07-16T18:01:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:11:45.105Z","description":"Crater appeared on the Yamal peninsula in northern Russia","url":"https://time.com/2992819/hole-siberia-yamal-peninsula/","keywords":["Newsfeed","russia","Environment","Science topic","Siberia"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt64ec5ddd0fe80beb/69869bf53bc99992f81a48cd/siberia-hole.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Hannah Goldberg","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/hannah-goldberg/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt64ec5ddd0fe80beb/69869bf53bc99992f81a48cd/siberia-hole.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Siberia Giant Hole","caption":"Siberia Giant Hole","creditText":"","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/2992819/hole-siberia-yamal-peninsula/","name":"This Eerie Hole Opened Up at the 'End of the World'"}}]}] ```