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  • Siberia's 'doorway to the Underworld' Is Getting So Big It's Uncovering Ancient Forests

    02/25/2017 7:40:58 PM PST · by combat_boots · 42 replies
    Science Alert ^ | 2/25/2017 | FIONA MACDONALD
    A doorway to 200,000 years ago. It's no secret that Siberia's permafrost has been on thin ice lately. Conditions are varying so much that huge holes are appearing out of nowhere, and, in some places, tundra is quite literally bubbling underneath people's feet. But new research has revealed that one of the biggest craters in the region, known by the local Yakutian people as the 'doorway to the underworld', is growing so rapidly that it's uncovering long-buried forests, carcasses, and up to 200,000 years of historical climate records. Known as the Batagaika crater, it's what's officially called a 'megaslump' or...