PERMAFROST CRATER IN SIBERIA NAMED 'GATEWAY TO HELL' MASSIVELY EXPANDS
Large swathes of Earth are being swallowed up by the rapidly expanding Gateway to Hell, an enormous depression deep within Siberia. The largest permafrost crater in the world, the Batagaika crater releases an astonishing amount of greenhouse gases. The tadpole-shaped hole is one kilometre (nearly a mile) long and descends to a maximum depth of one hundred meters (328 feet). Even though it goes by the name "crater," that's a misnomer. Actually, when the surrounding forest was cleared in the 1960s, a thermokarst depression, or mega slump, emerged, which is what the hole is.
Due to this, the delicate thermal balance of the terrain was altered, and when the permafrost thawed, a significant amount of methane gas was released, which is what created the Earth's depression.
Its existence was not confirmed by satellite images until 1991, and since then, researchers have observed its rapid growth. Its growth rate was recently calculated, and the results shocked Alexander Kizyakov's team at Moscow State University's Department of Cryolithology and Glaciology. The groups presented their findings in a study that was published in the journal Geomorphology. They first evaluated the crater's expansion using satellite imagery, and then they created a three-dimensional (3D) model to determine the rate of permafrost melting using field data and remote sensing. They found that sections of the headwall that have already collapsed are melting and sinking quickly and that the headwall itself is eroding at a rate of 40 feet (12 meters) per year.
Even though Batagaika is still expanding, scientists think its growth is limited. There are only a few feet of permafrost left in the crater, and the bedrock beneath it will prevent it from growing further.