Scientists explain mysterious funnels on the Russian platform by hydrogen degassing

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

Over the past 15 years, numerous cases of the formation of craters have been noted in the central regions of the European part of Russia. Among them, two types stand out: explosive and disastrous.

The processes accompanying the appearance of explosive craters are sometimes quite impressive. On April 12, 1991, 400 meters from the border of the city of Sasovo (southeast of the Ryazan region), there was a strong explosion, as a result of which windows and doors were knocked out in half of the city.

According to experts, such an impact of the shock wave on the city could cause an explosion of at least several tens of tons of TNT. However, no traces of explosives were found. The diameter of the formed funnel No. 1 is 28 meters, the depth is 4 meters.

In June 1992, 7 km north of Sasovo, in a sown corn field, another explosive funnel (15 m diameter, 4 m depth) was discovered, while no one heard the explosion (but when they sowed, it was not there yet). The explosive character is established by the annular ejection framing the funnel in the form of a roller. In addition, according to eyewitnesses who observed the crater in a fresh state, there were pieces scattered around - lumps of soil.

We have a vague suspicion that the formation of these craters is somehow connected with the hydrogen degassing of the planet. And we also knew that compact hydrogen gas analyzers had been invented in Russia, which made it possible to measure the content of free hydrogen in a gas mixture in the concentration range from 1 ppm to 10,000 ppm (parts per million - parts per million, 10,000 ppm = 1%).

We visited the Sasovsky funnels in August 2005, and invited Vladimir Leonidovich Syvorotkin, Doctor of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences, on the trip, who had the necessary equipment and kindly agreed to acquaint us with the method of "hydrogenometry".

Measurements by V. L. Syvorotkin in the Sasovsky region showed the presence of free hydrogen in the subsoil air. Unfortunately, by the time of our visit (August, 2005), funnel No. 1 turned into a small lake, and therefore measurements were not carried out directly in the funnel itself. However, both in the immediate vicinity of it and at a distance of several hundred meters, the presence of hydrogen was established. Funnel No. 2 was perfectly preserved, turned out to be completely dry, and a measurement at its bottom showed twice the concentration of hydrogen in comparison with the adjacent territory.

Thus, at present it is possible to estimate the approximate content of hydrogen in the subsoil air, and this seems to be a very promising matter from any point of view. We purchased 2 hydrogen gas analyzers VG-2A and VG-2B (the range of measured hydrogen concentrations for the first is from 1 to 50 ppm, for the second from 10 to 1000 ppm), slightly improved the process of sampling subsoil air, and in 2006 we undertook several expedition trips in the central regions of the Russian platform (Lipetsk and Ryazan regions).

In the northeastern part of the Lipetsk region, we observed sinkhole No. 3 on a plowed black earth field. Its diameter is 13 meters, depth is 4.5 meters. There were no emissions around her. This funnel was discovered in the spring of 2003. Our drilling revealed at a depth of 3 meters (below the bottom of the funnel) in the arkose sands lumps of fat chernozem, which fell there from the surface, which unambiguously confirms its failure.

Measurements of the hydrogen concentration at the bottom of the funnel showed zero. At a distance of 50 meters and further to the west, the first device (it has a higher sensitivity) began to show concentrations of several ppm, but not more than 5 ppm. However, at a distance of 120 m from the funnel, the device "choked" with hydrogen. The second device at the same point showed a concentration of more than 100 ppm. Detailing of this place showed the presence of a local hydrogen anomaly, which stretches in the meridional direction for 120 meters, has a width of about 10-15 meters, with maximum values up to 200-250 ppm.

About the properties of hydrogen

One of the distinctive properties of hydrogen is its unique ability to diffuse in solids, which is many times (and even orders of magnitude) higher than the diffusion rate of other gases. In this regard, there is no way to believe that the local anomaly we identified is buried, and has remained (preserved) from ancient geological times. Most likely, we discovered the emergence of a modern hydrogen jet on the surface of the earth.

Geological experience teaches that if endogenous phenomena are closely related in space and time (in our case, a sinkhole and a hydrogen jet), then, most likely, they are genetically related, i.e. are derivatives of one process. And such, obviously, is the hydrogen degassing of the Earth.

Hydrogen ("hydrogen", - literally - "giving birth to water") is a fairly active chemical element. In the pores, cracks and micropores of the rocks of the upper horizons of the crust, there is enough free (buried) oxygen, as well as oxygen weakly bound chemically (primarily, iron oxides and hydroxides). The endogenous stream of hydrogen, making its way out, is certainly spent on the formation of water. And if the hydrogen jet reaches the surface of the day, then we can be sure that at depth it is more powerful, and, accordingly, it should be assumed that some endogenous processes are going on at depth, which should be reckoned with for us living on this surface.

First of all, deep fluid jets are never sterile hydrogen. They always contain chlorine, sulfur, fluorine, etc. We know this from other regions where hydrogen degassing has been going on for a long time. These elements in a water-hydrogen fluid are in the form of various compounds, including in the form of the corresponding acids (HCl, HF, H2S). Thus, a hydrogen jet at a depth of the first kilometers definitely forms acidified water, which, moreover, should have an elevated temperature (due to the geothermal gradient and exothermic nature of chemical reactions), and such water very quickly "eats" carbonates.

In the sedimentary cover of the Russian Platform, the thickness of carbonates is many hundreds of meters. We are all accustomed to thinking that the formation of karst voids in them is a slow process, since we associated it with the seepage of rain and snow waters to a depth, which, in fact, are distilled and, moreover, cold. The discovery of a hydrogen jet (and a fresh sinkhole next to this jet) forces us to radically reconsider these familiar notions. Acidified thermal waters, formed along the path of the hydrogen jet, can very quickly "eat away" karst voids and thereby provoke the appearance of sinkholes on the Earth's surface (when we say "fast", we do not mean geological time, but ours - human, fast flowing). Below we will discuss the possible scale of this phenomenon at the present time.

Physics of the Sasov explosion

Now let's return to the explosive funnel of the city of Sasovo. There are many mysteries associated with this explosion. The explosion took place on the night of April 12, 1991 at 1 hour 34 minutes. However, 4 hours before that (on April 11, late in the evening), large (according to evidence - huge) luminous balls began to fly in the area of the future explosion. Such a ball of bright white color was seen above the railway station. He was observed by the workers of the station and the depot, numerous passengers, the driver of the shunting diesel locomotive (it was he who raised the alarm). Unusual phenomena in the sky were seen by cadets of the civil aviation flight school, railway workers, fishermen. An hour before the explosion, a strange glow spread over the place of the future crater. Half an hour before the explosion, residents of the outskirts of the city saw two bright red balls over the site of the future explosion. At the same time, people felt the shaking of the earth and heard a rumble. Just before the explosion, residents of the surrounding villages saw two bright blue flashes illuminate the sky above the city.

The explosion itself was preceded by a powerful, growing rumble. The earth shook, the walls shook, and only then a shock wave (or waves?) Hit the city. Houses began to sway from side to side, TVs and furniture fell in apartments, chandeliers flew to smithereens. Sleepy people were thrown from their beds, showered with broken glass. Thousands of windows and doors, as well as sheets from roofs, were uprooted. Unbelievable pressure drops tore off manhole covers, burst hollow objects - sealed cans, light bulbs, even children's toys. Sewer pipes burst underground. When the roar died down, the shocked people again heard the roar, now, as it were, receding …

All this bears little resemblance to an ordinary explosion. According to experts (explosives engineers), to cause such damage to the city, it was necessary to detonate at least 30 tons of TNT.

But why then such a small funnel? Such a funnel can be made with two tons of TNT (this is said by V. Larin, a blaster with many years of experience, who, after field seasons, had to detonate one and a half to two tons of explosives, since it was not taken back to the warehouse).

It seems extremely strange that in the immediate vicinity of the funnel, the grass, bushes and trees remained intact neither by shock nor high temperature. And why did the pillars, which stood nearby, tilt towards the funnel? Why did the hatch covers rip off, and why did hollow objects burst?

And, finally, why the “explosion” turned out to be stretched out in time, as it were, and was accompanied by a rumble, shaking of the Earth and unusual light phenomena (in addition to luminous balls and bright flashes that were observed before the explosion, the formed funnel itself glowed at night until it was flooded water).

The reason for the mysterious "attack" on the city remained unclear (experts came to the conclusion that neither people nor nature could create such a thing).

Now our version. We know that there can be local hydrogen jets in central Russia. These jets must, along their route, be accompanied by the formation of thermal water, which, moreover, must be highly mineralized. Thermal mineralized waters, getting into the zone of lower temperatures and pressures, usually discharge their mineralization in the form of various "hydrothermalites", healing the existing system of permeable pores and cracks. As a result, the hydrogen jet in the upper crustal horizons can form a kind of dense “cap” around itself, which closes the hydrogen outlet to the outside. Such a barrier causes the accumulation of hydrogen and other gases in a certain volume ("boiler") under the bell, which will result in a sharp increase in pressure. (Gas bubbles floating up from a great depth in a poorly compressible fluid lead to an increase in pressure in the upper parts of the system filled with this fluid.). When the pressure in the boiler exceeds the lithostatic pressure, a breakthrough of both the cap and the overlying strata will surely occur somewhere. And we will get a powerful blowout. This emission will be dominated by hydrogen and water, possibly with addition of carbon dioxide. (In this way, volcanic tubes of explosion - diatremes are formed, only in this variant silicate melts play the role of a poorly compressible fluid.)

Thus, the Sasovskaya funnel No. 1 itself was formed not as a result of an explosion, but because of a breakthrough of a gas jet, consisting mainly of hydrogen, therefore it (a funnel) is so small (At high speeds, gas jets retain their diameter, and when they enter the funnel, they even come off the walls).

At the same time, hydrogen mixed with oxygen in the atmosphere, and a cloud of detonating gas was formed, which had already exploded, i.e. this explosion took place on a large scale. During the explosive combustion of hydrogen, a large amount of heat was released (237.5 kJ per mole), which led to a sharp expansion (explosive expansion) of the reaction products. In the atmosphere in such "volumetric" explosions behind the shock front, a rarefaction zone (with low pressure) is formed.

The so-called "vacuum bombs" give the same effect in an explosion. It must be said that when experts in explosives technology studied the event in Sasovo, many phenomena (torn off cast-iron covers from inspection wells, ruptures of hollow objects, windows and doors knocked out, etc.) directly indicated a vacuum-type explosion. But the military declared in the most categorical way that the detonation of the "vacuum bomb" should be excluded from the list of possible causes. And yet, with the help of the latest metal detectors, they combed everything around, but no fragments of the bomb shell were found.

Interesting are the results of calculating the possible dimensions of an underground boiler with the following parameters:

- "boiler" at a depth of 600 meters, where the lithostatic pressure is 150 bar;

- this is a certain volume, in which only 5% of porosity is in the form of communicating cavities;

- communicating voids are filled with hydrogen under a pressure of 150 atm.;

- exploded only one-twentieth of what escaped into the atmosphere from the underground boiler, the rest just scattered;

- the exploded part released an energy equivalent to the explosion of 30 tons of TNT.

Under these conditions, the volume of the boiler could be on the order of - 30x30x50m.

Thus, the cauldron was miniaturized on a geological scale. But the energy stored in it was thousands of times greater than the energy in the steam boiler of a thermal power plant. About a kilometer from my house there is a thermal power station, and when the pressure from the boiler is released there, then I go deaf, and the glass in the apartment vibrates. Now imagine what the hum and vibration will be if not far from your house, underground, a thousand times more powerful cauldron has cracked and its contents are pushed to the surface, crushing a six-hundred-meter layer of rocks. Nearby it will be a real earthquake with a strong underground hum.

Now about the mysterious light phenomena. Strong electrification in the area of an upcoming earthquake is a common phenomenon: hair stands on end, clothes bristle and crackle, whatever you touch - everything beats with sparks of static electricity. And if this happens at night, then you start to glow. A dry handkerchief can fly away, just like a magic flying carpet. The phenomenon is both beautiful and eerie at the same time (you never know how much it "shakes").

Many seismic shocks are preceded and accompanied by the appearance of luminous spheres (especially near the epicenter). Some researchers call them "plasmoids", but the actual nature of these formations has not yet been clarified.

In Tashkent, during the famous earthquake, the main tremors occurred at night, and city services immediately, at their first sign, cut off the city from electricity. However, with the power off, some of the street lighting lines ignited spontaneously and shone during and after the seismic shock for 10-15 minutes. The official report on the Tashkent earthquake also said that in dark cellars, where there was no electric lighting, it became as bright as day. It has been hypothesized that electrification and light effects are somehow related to the sharp accumulation of stress in rocks.

Thus, if the hydrogen jet is "locked" at depth, then this can be resolved by the formation of a funnel as a result of the breakthrough of gases to the Earth's surface. And, apparently, this breakthrough is not always accompanied by a volumetric (vacuum) explosion in the atmosphere. If the hydrogen jet reaches the surface without hindrance, then, most likely, we will get a sinkhole (karst) funnel.

Apparently, these options are due to differences in the physical and chemical properties of rocks, through which deep hydrogen infiltration takes place. And, of course, there must be intermediate variations between these extreme types, and they are.

About the age of the funnels

Funnels began to appear on the Russian platform in the 90s, and over the past 15 years there have been at least 20 of them. But these are only those funnels that appeared in front of witnesses, and we do not know how many of those, the appearance of which was not noticed, or was noticed, but was not made public.

Over time, the funnels "age" and quickly enough turn into small saucer-shaped depressions overgrown with bushes and forests, especially if they are in loose chalk sands. And there are many hundreds of such old, "saucer-shaped" (often perfectly round) ones. Their sizes are from 50 to 150 m in diameter, some of them reach 300 meters.

Judging by satellite images, in some areas they occupy up to 10-15% of the territory, similar to pockmarks on the earth's face after a serious illness (Lipetsk, Voronezh, Ryazan, Tambov, Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod regions). From a geological point of view, their age is modern, since they were formed after glaciation, when the modern relief has already formed (i.e., their age does not exceed 10 thousand years). By human standards, these funnels are “prehistoric”, were “always”, and people have not seen (and do not remember) their formation (that is, they are more than a thousand years old).

You can build a version: several thousand years ago there was an active process of the formation of funnels, then it stopped and now began again. But how did the hydrogen degassing behave? Was it the reason for the appearance of "prehistoric" funnels, or not? And if there was, was there a break in the process of hydrogen degassing on the Russian platform for thousands of years, and recently it started again? Or did it go on constantly, and the hydrogen jets have an ancient origin? There are no answers to these questions yet.

It is now impossible to say when the hydrogen jets (existing at the moment) appeared in the central regions of the Russian Platform. We also do not know how long the hydrogen jet must "work" for the funnel to appear. This requires targeted research, experiments, calculations. One can only guess (for which there is reason) that hydrogen is able to "work" quickly.

But if we take into account that several dozen craters have formed over the past 15 years, and before that time there seemed to be no such thing (although there was already "glasnost"), then it turns out that hydrogen jets are a new phenomenon, of recent origin. We do not know if it has a global character, or is widespread only here in Russia.

On the question of "Noctilucent Clouds"

In this regard, perhaps one should pay attention to Noctilucent Clouds. They consist of ice crystals of water and are located at an altitude of 75-90 km (in the mesopause zone). Atmospheric experts cannot explain how water vapor penetrates into this area. The temperature there drops to minus 100 ° C, and all the water freezes out completely at much lower altitudes.

But if there is dissipation of hydrogen from the Earth into outer space, then it is able to penetrate into the mesopause zone. This is above the ozone layer, there is a lot of solar radiation and there is oxygen - all that is needed to form water. The highlight (intrigue) here is that there were no Noctilucent Clouds until the summer of 1885. However, in June 1885, dozens of observers from different countries noticed them at once. Since then, they have become an ordinary (regular) event, and now it is established that this phenomenon is global. But can this amazing fact be considered evidence in favor of hydrogen degassing?

"Countryside" anomaly

Traveling to the Black Earth Region is a pleasant business, especially in early autumn, when there is already a harvest, few mosquitoes, and the weather is still acceptable. But at the same time, they are burdensome due to the need to drive a powerful SUV with a tractor protector on wheels (otherwise there is nothing to do in wet weather). And these trips are also tiresome because of the single-lane highways clogged with slowly creeping trucks.

Therefore, getting into another traffic jam, every time we dreamed - “how nice it would be to find a hydrogen anomaly in our country house”, which can be reached by “Dmitrovka” from a Moscow apartment in an hour. There you have a shower, and a bath, and you can wait out the bad weather by the fireplace, but if the weather clears up a little, and you are already at work.

In the next visit to the dacha, they measured it right on their site - it turned out to be more 500 ppm … They began to measure around, first within a radius of several meters, then tens, then hundreds of meters, finally - kilometers, and everywhere hundreds ppm, and in every fourth measurement the device showed more than 1000 ppm … Currently, we have established that there is a regional anomaly in the Moscow region, the length of which (from north to south) is not less than 130 kilometers, with a width of more than 40 km.

And we have not delineated it yet, but it looks like it is larger, since the extreme peripheral measurements found values exceeding 1000 ppm … This anomaly covers all of Moscow.

Ascertaining the current situation: at the present time, on the Russian platform, the activation of endogenous processes associated with hydrogen degassing has begun. Our civilization has not yet encountered such a phenomenon, and therefore it must be comprehensively investigated.

What to do?

Apparently, it is necessary to start with local hydrogen anomalies, which record the outflows of hydrogen jets to the planet's surface. It is necessary to select a set of geophysical methods to study this phenomenon.

- If the hydrogen jet forms a vertical permeability zone filled with a water-hydrogen fluid, then in this zone the horizontal reflecting surfaces should be “washed out”. Accordingly, such zones will be recorded by seismic methods (for example, by the method of reflected waves).

- The upper kilometers of such zones will be filled with saline water, i.e. natural electrolyte with high electrical conductivity. Consequently, these zones can be established by electrical prospecting methods (for example, by the method of magnetotelluric sounding - MTZ).

- It should be borne in mind that permeability (porosity) is created by the hydrogen itself in the zone of its infiltration (when it is collected in jet streams). And it can create this porosity (and cavernosity) not only in carbonates, but also in granites, granite-gneisses, crystalline shales, etc., which is accompanied by metasomatic transformation of silicate rocks (kaolinization, argillization). At the same time, the bulk density of rocks decreases significantly (sometimes sharply), which opens up the possibility of successful application of gravimetry.

- Finally, in highly porous zones (filled with water), the seismic wave propagation velocities sharply decrease, and this allows us to hope for the effectiveness of the seismic tomography method.

The geophysical survey methodology, developed on local hydrogen anomalies and young craters, and designed to search for hydrogen jets hidden at depth (and associated vertical zones of permeability), will need to be verified by drilling. Then it can be used to identify potentially hazardous areas in areas where specially protected objects exist or are supposed to be.

It should be recalled that a few years ago, two craters formed in the immediate vicinity of the Kursk NPP. If we learn to find "hydrogen boilers", then, quite possibly, we will adapt to bleed the pressure out of them with wells and utilize the hydrogen obtained in this way, i.e. we will receive considerable benefit and income from a phenomenon that, without being capitalized, can cause considerable harm and cause disasters.

Now we cannot speak with certainty about the nature of the regional hydrogen anomaly that covers all of Moscow, and what surprises it can present to us - there is still too little data. One thing is clear: it is too large, and we can hardly hope to take control of the endogenous processes that may be associated with it. These processes, most likely, are already underway at depth, but have not yet come to the surface. However, they are likely to appear in the near future, and many dangerous phenomena can be associated with them, for which we better prepare in advance.

The near future is "human"

First of all, within the limits of the regional anomaly, the appearance of explosive and sinkhole craters is possible. According to Moscow geoecologists (who do not yet have information about hydrogen jets), 15% of the city's territory is at risk for karst, and sinkholes in these areas can occur at any time. Experts know about this, speak and warn, but do not show much activity in forcing the authorities to take appropriate measures.

Apparently, the prevailing opinion about the "unhurried" formation of karst cavities is a calming factor. But in our version, when hydrogen "works" (which is able to "work" quickly), this threat should be treated with priority attention. It is necessary to try, if it is not too late, to urgently carry out various geophysical and geochemical studies, and to carry them out in the future in the monitoring mode in order to establish the dynamics and direction of endogenous processes.

These studies should be carried out not only on the surface, but (which is very important!) In the underlying horizons, for which a network of parametric wells with a depth of 100 m to 1.5 km is required. It is necessary to accumulate the primary amount of data as soon as possible in order to simply understand in which direction we should move further in our studies and life plans.

Now we are not clear on the scale of possible troubles in connection with endogenous hydrogen degassing within Moscow. However, if it were our will, we would right now (even before the situation in the earth's bowels under the metropolis become clear) slowed down the construction of multi-storey buildings. Their influence on the underlying horizons is very great. And if there are hydrogen jets within the city (and they are) capable of producing water (“warm” and chemically aggressive), then this water will, first of all, erode rocks that are in a stressed state, i.e. will erode rocks under the foundations of skyscrapers.

And there is no need to refer to the high-rise buildings of Stalin's construction, which have stood for more than half a century. First, they were built differently; and secondly, hydrogen degassing, most likely, appeared much later, and we began to notice its effect only in the last 15 years (judging by the time of manifestation of fresh explosive and sinkhole craters on the Russian platform).

About the near future, but already "geological"

Within the framework of the "Hypothesis of an Initially Hydride Earth", a regional hydrogen anomaly is an early symptom (evidence) of the preparation of the Russian Platform for the outpouring of plateau-basalts (traps). It must be said that our platform is the only one among the ancient platforms where trap magmatism has not yet manifested itself, on the rest it was widely manifested in the Mesozoic and Paleogene.

This phenomenon is well studied, and it is striking: the complete absence of preliminary tectonic and geothermal activity, a sudden onset and gigantic volumes of erupted lava. This is not ordinary volcanism, these are “flood-basalts” - literally translated “flooding basalts” (“ flood - translated from English - flood, flood, flood).

In India, on the Deccan plateau, these basalts are flooded with 650,000 km2, we have even more of them on the East Siberian platform. This process is multi-stage, but the volumes of one-act eruptions are surprising - they can flood (at a time) thousands of square kilometers (for example, all of Moscow at a time). One thing is consoling (and calming): the outpouring of plateau-basalts is a geological future, and millions of years may pass before it. But these millions may not exist - after all, the regional hydrogen anomaly already exists. And God forbid, if it also "sits" on the territory under which the asthenosphere protrusion will be (but it seems that this is exactly what is being planned).

However, the planet will have to send a clear signal about the beginning of the “flood-basalts” phenomenon, which cannot be overlooked (we will not talk about its nature for now). And we fear that after this signal we will have little time to evacuate, perhaps several years, but maybe only months. So far, this signal has not yet been received.

A possible pleasant prospect?

At the same time, there is a pleasant aspect: it is very likely that the regional anomaly at a depth of 1.5-2-2.5 km (in the crystalline base of the platform) will collect in several powerful hydrogen streams, from which it will be possible to take hydrogen by wells.

This promises great prospects for the production of hydrogen on an industrial scale. Now the whole world dreams of converting energy to hydrogen, but no one knows where to get it. We have the hope that the Planet will wait with the basalts, and will give us at least a hundred or two years of quiet existence so that we can register this “home” hydrogen (to the envy of our neighbors), and then we’ll come up with something.

Conclusion

The above, in spite of all its "preliminaryness", shows the need for the earliest possible organization of a wide range of studies. About what kind of research it should be and in what territories is a special conversation, and we are ready for it (more precisely, we are almost ready).

At the same time, I would like to outline one direction in these studies right now. We are talking about methane explosions in coal mines, which have recently become more and more frequent. In methane (CH4) - there are 4 hydrogen atoms per carbon atom, i.e. in terms of the number of atoms, natural gas is primarily hydrogen.

And if the jets of hydrogen come from the depth and fall into the coal seams, then, of course, methane will be formed: 2H2 + C = CH4. Thus, hydrogen jets right now can form hotbeds of methane accumulation in coal basins, and the methane in these hotbeds can be under sufficiently high pressure.

The situation is aggravated by the fact that some time ago, when advance drilling was carried out to determine the danger "by explosion", these foci might not have existed, especially if this drilling was carried out a long time ago (10-15 years ago).

In short, if it turns out that the centers of methane accumulation in coal basins are produced by jets of hydrogen, then it will become much easier to build an effective system of preventive measures that will minimize possible risks and losses.