An enormous crack deep in Russia’s Far East region, Batagaika Crater broke open in just a few decades as the ice and permanent ice (permafrost) thawed. Decades later, the real scar on our planet continues to grow as climate change continues to warm this part of the world.
Commonly known as the largest permafrost crater in the world, the crack is located in the Republic of Sakha between the Chersky Ranges, a mountain chain in northeastern Siberia between the Yana River and the Indigirka River.
Locals call this crater the “Gateway to Hell” and it’s not hard to understand why. The tadpole-shaped rift is up to 100 meters deep and about 1 kilometer long, surrounded by the dense northern forests of the Russian countryside.
Mega Crash
Scientists prefer to call it the “mega-crash.” It was first reported in the 1960s that productive deforestation in the region had degraded the ground’s permafrost and weakened the ground to the point of subsidence.
It seems that this rift is getting bigger every year. Some studies say it can expand at a rate of 10 to 30 meters per year. This expansion is thought to be a result of climate change in the region leading to hotter summers and shorter winters, suggesting that the situation for the permafrost, which holds the soil together, will not improve soon.
As Reuters reported this week, explorers recently investigated the Batagaika mega-collapse and returned with some incredible travel footage showing the crater from the inside.
Other parts of Russia are also experiencing unusual geological activities due to rising temperatures. In the summer of 2020, a gigantic sinkhole measuring more than 20 meters in diameter and 30 meters in depth appeared in northwestern Siberia. The crater opened up after an explosive bubble of methane gas exploded underground in the remote tundra.
Fortunately, sinkholes and mega-collapses in Siberia have so far only been reported in remote and uninhabited areas. However, they can pose a major threat to people and infrastructure if they occur in a human-inhabited area.
However, not all places around the world were so lucky. In 2021, about 100 sinkholes appeared in two villages not far from the Croatian capital, Zagreb, some of them extremely close to people’s homes…
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