Yamal Peninsula

It extends roughly 700 km (435 mi) and is bordered principally by the Kara Sea and its Baydaratskaya Bay on the west, and by the Gulf of Ob on the east.

In the summer of 2007 reindeer herder Yuri Khudi found the well-preserved remains of a 37,000-year-old mammoth calf, dubbed "Lyuba", on the peninsula.

[2] The peninsula consists mostly of permafrost ground and there are numerous lakes of thermokarst origin, the biggest of which are Neito and Yambuto in the central part.

[5] According to anthropologist Sven Haakanson, the Yamal peninsula is the place within the Russian Federation where traditional large-scale nomadic reindeer husbandry is best preserved.

[citation needed] In 2014, Yamal was the discovery site of a distinct sinkhole, or pingo, which quickly drew the attention of world media.

[11] The sinkhole appeared to be the result of a huge explosion and several hypotheses were suggested to explain the formation of the crater, including a hit by a meteorite or a UFO, or the collapse of an underground gas facility.

[15] Tests conducted by Plekhanov's team showed unusually high concentrations of methane near the bottom of the sinkhole.