A massive crater in Russia can now be seen from space and continues to expand due to climate change, according to scientists.
Dubbed the “Gateway to Hell,” the Batagaika Crater is a 200-acre wide, 300-foot deep hole in the Yana highlands of Siberia that was created by the release of tons of previously frozen methane caused by melting permafrost.
As the crater in the Earth continues to grow and deepen, researchers say the methane release has reached between 4,000 and 5,000 tons per year.
Over a dozen researchers led by glaciologist Alexander Kizyakov published their findings this month in the journal Geomorphology.
Kizyakov says the crater is expected to leak its remaining greenhouse gas soon as the permafrost has already melted nearly down to the bedrock. And that will cause the crater to grow even further.
“Expansion along the margins and upslope is expected,” Kizyakov told Atlas Obscura. “This lateral expansion is also limited by the proximity of bedrock, the top of which apparently rises to the saddle between the nearest mountains about 550 meters (1,805 feet) uphill.”
Researchers say local ecosystems are being permanently altered by the greenhouse gas emissions from the crater.
