In the region of Siberia Oriental, in Russia, the evolution of a crater that is popularly known as the “mouth of hell” and that continues to increase in depth over the years. Global warming plays a key role in modifying the size of the formation. Beyond the climatic, there are all kinds of urban legends and popular beliefs.
Throughout history, the different formations and natural phenomena that occur throughout the Earth attracted a lot of attention from humanity. Through study and observation, all kinds of events were discovered that undoubtedly caused people to talk.
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On this occasion, everything revolves around the Batagaika Crater, which is located ten kilometers southeast of Batagai City. Recently, the crater was opened and exposed before the eyes of those who came to the area, so there is a lot of curiosity around this formation.
The Batagaika is measured since the 1980s and currently it is one kilometer long and 86 meters deepas collected LADbible. These figures are not final and are renewed all the time. The increasing movement of the depression continues and it is currently estimated that the size of the crater increases between 20 and 30 meters per year.
The exposed layers of soil are between 120,000 and 200,000 years old., according to the estimation of scientists. With these numbers, the crater becomes the oldest discovered sunken area in Eurasia. On the other hand, the lowest layer of soil, which is still covered, could reach 650,000 years.
Why is the crater getting bigger?
The landscape is constantly changing melting permafrost, which is the layer of ice that is under the surface of the Earth and that was frozen for millions of years. By changing that factor, the opening of the Batagaika is generated.
It is estimated that in this case the ice sheet existed for more than 2,000,000 years and that just was exposed to sunlight in the 1960s, when the existing forest was cleared. From there, the sinking began and has not stopped and will not stop, at least in the near future.
In the medium term, which generates the global warming the thing is the ice surfaces still contained in the crater in the depths melt and that is why the aforementioned sinking process continues.
The concern of the inhabitants and urban legends
People living in nearby towns stated that rumbles are frequently heard important coming from the crater.
Of course, faced with such curiosity, there are some beliefs beyond scientific information. The Yakuts, who are located in the Sakha Republic, they see the crater as a passage to the spirit world or even an entrance to hell. Precisely, that is one of the reasons why the Batagaika was popularly called the “mouth of hell”.