A 30-meter-wide sinkhole formed next to a busy road, forcing nearby residents to evacuate.
(Video: east2west)
Referred to as the “Gates of Hell,” the 30-meter-wide sinkhole appeared in a mining area in Sheregesh, Kemerovo region, near a popular resort. The mine is reportedly owned by a company linked to Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, Newsweek reported on December 15. Four houses have been evacuated following the opening of the sinkhole, most of which were used for vacation rentals.
Drone footage shows the massive sinkhole forming near a road, with cars still passing by after the incident. Local authorities in the Tashtagol district stated that roads and buildings were not destroyed by the sinkhole, though the main access road to the area has been closed and bus services temporarily suspended.
Evgeny Chuvilin, head researcher at the Scientific and Technical Center for Oil and Gas at the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, mentioned that the collapse was expected and local authorities had implemented appropriate safety measures to mitigate damage. However, further north, sinkholes are forming in less predictable situations.
The sinkhole in Sheregesh.
“Many sinkholes on the permafrost in northern West Siberia are unique geological formations. They result from explosive gas releases in the upper layers of the Arctic permafrost. Before the sinkhole appears, gas, primarily methane, accumulates under pressure in pockets within the frozen ground. The pressure then increases due to the concentration of gas,” Chuvilin explained.
As pressure builds beneath the surface, the ground layer begins to bulge and eventually collapses. Gas released from the sinkhole causes rocks and ice to scatter over distances of several hundred meters around the area. According to Chuvilin, the formation of such sinkholes remains relatively rare. Since 2014, only 20 sinkholes of this kind have been discovered, most of which are gigantic, particularly one sinkhole on the peninsula measuring 198 meters wide.
As the Earth warms, the frequency of underground explosions is expected to increase. Climate change raises the temperature of the permafrost, increasing gas pressure that leads to the release of methane and the formation of sinkholes.
