Scientists have completed many years of research into the Batagai failure in Yakutia, which locals call the “gates of hell.” This unique natural site allows you to look back hundreds of thousands of years, revealing the secrets of climate and ancient fauna.
The Batagai failure, located near the village of Batagai in Yakutia, is the largest thermokarst basin in the world. Its depth reaches 100 meters and its length is almost 1.5 km. Scientists believe that this object is a real “portal to the past,” since its layers have preserved information about the climate and ecosystems that existed here hundreds of thousands of years ago.
Studies have shown that the lower layers of permafrost in the hole can be between 250 and 700 thousand years old. This makes Batagaika the oldest permafrost outcrop in Russia and one of the oldest in the world. Scientists from the Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems of Soil Science of the Russian Academy of Sciences, NEFU and the Institute of Permafrost Science of the SB RAS are actively studying this object in order to understand how the climate changed and what species of animals and plants inhabited the region in the past.
One of the main problems of the Batagai failure is its constant expansion. Every year the walls of the ravine recede by 3-5 meters, and in some places – up to 12 meters. This is due to the melting of permafrost, which is accelerating due to climate change. Local residents fear that the sinkhole could threaten the village of Batagai, but scientists assure that this is unlikely, since there are already rocks at the bottom of the basin that limit further deepening.
Batagaika is not only a geological phenomenon, but also a treasure trove of paleontological finds. Over the years of research, the remains of ancient animals were discovered here, such as the Verkhoyansk horse (4.5 thousand years old), a bison calf (8 thousand years old), a hoofed lemming (more than 50 thousand years old), as well as a baby mammoth named Yana, found in 2024. These finds help scientists recreate the picture of the tundra-steppe that existed here during the Pleistocene period.
The Batagai failure is not only a unique natural object, but also an important scientific resource. Research into this “portal to the past” helps scientists understand how the climate on the planet has changed and what awaits us in the future.
Source: aif.ru
Photo: wikipedia
