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EXTREME GROWTH AND EXPLOSION OF THE C19 GAS-DYNAMIC HEAVING MOUND ON THE YAMAL PENINSULA IN 2020
JOURNAL: Volume 16, No. 3, 2026, p. 361-373HEADING: Research activities in the Arctic
AUTHORS: Bogoyavlensky, V.I., Bogoyavlensky, I.V., Nikonov, R.A., Polozov, V.N., Osokin, A.B.
ORGANIZATIONS: Oil and Gas Research Institute of RAS, Gazprom Dobycha Nadym Ltd.
DOI: 10.25283/2223-4594-2026-3-361-373
UDC: 502.171, 504.4, 504.7, 553.981.2
The article was received on: 25.05.2026
Keywords: gas blowout (emission), remote sensing of the Earth, crater, Yamal peninsula, permafrost, digital elevation model (DEM), ArcticDEM, perennial heaving mounds (PHM), East-Bovanenkovo Field
Bibliographic description: Bogoyavlensky, V.I., Bogoyavlensky, I.V., Nikonov, R.A., Polozov, V.N., Osokin, A.B. Extreme growth and explosion of the C19 gas-dynamic heaving mound on the Yamal Peninsula in 2020. Arktika: ekologiya i ekonomika. [Arctic: Ecology and Economy], 2026, vol. 16, no. 3, pp. 361-373. DOI: 10.25283/2223-4594-2026-3-361-373. (In Russian).
Abstract:
Based on an analysis of satellite imagery combined with the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), it was determined that the explosion of perennial gas-dynamic heaving mound C19 on the Yamal Peninsula occurred in period between September 24 and October 5, 2020. Its development monitoring using the ArcticDEM digital elevation model revealed that in the year preceding the explosion and formation of the crater C19 (2019—2020), extreme growth of the central and northern parts of the mound occurred with average annual rates of approximately 54 and 67 cm/year, which is 4.0-4.9 times higher than at the initial stage of monitoring in 2013—2016. In methodological terms, to improve the reliability of forecasting future explosions of potential gas-dynamic heaving mounds, it is recommended to conduct annual monitoring of their development during summer periods characterized by the most consistent phenological state of the vegetation.
Finance info: The research was carried out according to the state assignment of the Oil and Gas Research Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences (OGRI RAS) on the topic “Improving the efficiency and environmental safety of the oil and gas resources development in the Arctic and Subarctic zones of Russia in a changing climate” (no. 122022800264-9). The authors express their gratitude to the management of Gazprom Dobycha Nadym LLC, for providing support to the field research of the OGRI RAS based on the Agreement on Scientific and Technical Cooperation.
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