In a remote area of the Siberian tundra, there’s a place that locals call “The Gateway to Hell.” In the summer, its peaceful waterfall sounds are interrupted by the booms and crashes of falling earth.
The indigenous Yakut people are rightfully wary of the massive, slowly collapsing crater. While it‘s not actually a portal to another dimension, the Batagay Crater is an unsettling mark of our changing world. And, in a sense, the formation is an opening to a hidden subsoil dimension–even if it’s not a supernatural one.
For starters, the Batagay Crater isn’t technically a crater. It’s actually a retrogressive thaw slump (or RTS), which is a widening chasm caused by permafrost thaw and sinking land–basically, a slow motion landslide. Batagay is the largest RTS in the world, and it’s growing.
But why? Find out by watching our latest video.
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