Siberia’s ‘gateway to the underworld’ won’t stop growing

Siberia’s “gateway to the underworld” is already massive. But, new research shows that it continues to grow, with the Batagaika Crater growing by 35 million cubic feet (1 million cubic meters) every year.

The growth is caused by the constantly thawing ground around the crater. When the frozen ground melts, the walls of the crater cave in more, causing it to grow even larger.

The crater, which was first discovered in 1991 when a section of hillside collapsed in the Yana Uplands of northern Yakutia in Russia...