The Batagaika Crater, dubbed the “Gateway to Hell” in Siberia, is increasingly expanding without any obstacles.
Batagaika Crater, known as the “Gateway to Hell” in the world, is located in Siberia. According to measurements from the 1980s, the crater measures about 1 km in length and 86 meters in depth.
Batagaika is considered one of the largest death holes in the world.
The crater reveals soil layers that are between 120,000 to 200,000 years old. Radiocarbon dating indicates that the oldest soil layer is up to 650,000 years old.
The Siberian region is home to many gigantic sinkholes, formed by the melting of the permafrost underneath the ground. Among them, Batagaika is regarded as one of the largest death holes in the world. The Yakut people residing in the area believe that the crater is a passage leading to hell.
Recently, researchers have expressed concern about the continuous development and expansion of the crater in recent years. It is estimated that it expands about 20 to 30 meters each year, a rate significantly faster than before, which is alarming.
Investigations over the years have revealed that the crater will continue to expand, showing no signs of stopping or anything that might hinder its growth.
The Gateway to Hell in Siberia as seen from a drone. (Video: Reuters).
Footage shared on July 12 provides aerial images of the Batagaika Crater, considered the largest permafrost crater in the world, according to Ruptly.tv. Covering an area of 0.8 km2, equivalent to about 145 football fields, this deep scar cuts through the eastern Siberian forest, likely created by deforestation in the 1940s. This activity led to erosion, exacerbating the seasonal melting of permafrost and creating the massive sinkhole on the surface known as a “mega-slump.” Since the permafrost in the region contains 80% ice, the large amount of melting ice causes sediments on the hillside to collapse, revealing a long and deep cut across the surface of the Sakha Republic in Russia.
Not only do drone images show the crater’s continuous expansion, but satellite images over the years have also confirmed the growth in size.
The mystery surrounding the death hole has led the Yakut people to believe that its increasing size is influenced by activities from the “underground world” within the earth.
Nasa satellite image showing the “Gateway to Hell” expanding further.
Meanwhile, experts suggest that the reason for the crater’s increasing expansion is that the permafrost inside is melting due to climate change.
It is known that the land in this area was permanently frozen during the Ice Age, about 2.58 million years ago. However, it started to be exposed to sunlight in the 1960s when the forests were cut down.
The ice within the ground began to melt, causing the ground to sink and settle. As the Earth continues to warm, many areas of the surface reach higher temperatures and the ice deep inside begins to melt. Global warming is causing the crater to continue expanding, estimated to be at an increasing rate, until it engulfs everything around it.
Many local residents living far from the area have reported hearing concerning explosions coming from this region.
Research on the Batagaika Crater will help scientists gain insights into the ancient world buried beneath the ice for hundreds of thousands of years.
| “Gateway to Hell”, as referred to by locals in the Sakha Republic of Russia, is scientifically known as a gigantic sinkhole (mega-slump). The expansion of the sinkhole is a dangerous sign, according to Nikita Tananayev, a researcher at the Melnikov Permafrost Institute in Yakutsk. |
