Mega Sinkhole in Siberia Expanding by One Million Cubic Meters Annually
Moscow, Russia - The massive Batagay crater in remote Siberia is widening by one million cubic meters each year as permafrost melts, according to a new study published in the journal Geomorphology.
Discovered in 1991 when part of a hillside collapsed in the Yana Uplands of northern Yakutia, Russia, the crater is named after the nearby Batagay village. The exposed permafrost makes up the remnants of a hillside that froze over 650,000 years ago - the oldest known permafrost in Siberia and the second-oldest in the world.
The study found that the Batagay crater's headwall is retreating at a rate of 12 meters per year due to thawing permafrost. The collapsed portion of the hillside, which is 55 meters lower than the headwall, is also melting rapidly and subsiding.
Rapid thawing is becoming more widespread and intense in the Arctic and near-Arctic permafrost landscapes, said the research team led by Alexander I. Kizyakov of Lomonosov Moscow State University. However, the volume of lost ice and sediment from the Batagay crater is particularly high due to its enormous size, which spanned 990 meters in 2023.
The crater was 790 meters wide in 2014, meaning it has grown by 200 meters in less than a decade. While researchers knew it was expanding, this is the first time they have calculated the volume of permafrost melting within the crater. They did so by examining satellite imagery, taking field measurements, and using laboratory tests on samples collected from Batagay.
The results indicate that the equivalent of more than 14 Great Pyramids of Giza has melted from the crater since it first collapsed. The melting rate has been relatively stable over the past decade, with most occurring along the crater's headwall on its western, southern, and southeastern sides.
Summary
The Batagay crater in Siberia is a massive sinkhole caused by melting permafrost. It is expanding by one million cubic meters each year, making it one of the most rapidly growing craters in the world. The study highlights the increasing impact of climate change on permafrost landscapes and the potential for more such craters to form in the future.