The Russia-Ukraine conflict threatens the secrets of the "Gateway to the Underworld".

Geologists have recently expressed concern about their inability to access a unique geological feature located in the far eastern region of Russia – a place that may hold secrets about life on Earth.

The Russia-Ukraine conflict threatens the secrets of the 'Gateway to the Underworld '. Pictured: The Batagay sinkhole in Siberia, Russia. (Source: Alferd Wgener Institute, Germany)

The Batagay sinkhole in Siberia, Russia, may hold secrets about life on Earth more than 600,000 years ago, but since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict on February 24, 2022, Western researchers have been largely unable to access the site.

Paleontologist Thomas Opel of the Alfred Wegener Institute in Germany recently revealed his concerns that the military campaign is disrupting all their research on life on Earth and their long-standing collaboration with Russian organizations and researchers.

The Batagay sinkhole – the largest frozen landslide on the planet, spanning 80 hectares – is a massive section of hillside that collapsed in the Yana highlands of northern Yakutia, Russia. This vast, icy region of Siberia is known locally as the "gateway to the underworld."

The Batagay sinkhole is constantly changing and serves as a valuable "window" for geologists. Batagay contains permafrost dating back 650,000 years, the oldest in Siberia and the second oldest in the world, surpassed only by an area in Canada's Yukon Territory.

Serving as a safe "repository" for glacial layers for 650,000 years, Batagay is a massive sedimentary pit that can reveal what happened to the environment and climate in the region, thanks to the analysis of the chemical composition of the sediment layers.

According to Live Science , new research by paleontologist Thomas Opel's team suggests that the giant Batagay sinkhole could be used to reconstruct Earth's ancient climate and environment. Detailed study of these changes could help us better understand modern climate change. Permafrost could be used to learn about past temperatures and ecosystems, potentially helping to predict how the modern world will respond to future climate change.

Since the Russia-Ukraine conflict broke out in February 2022, Western researchers have been largely unable to access the site. Scientist Thomas Opel said that if the subsidence reaches the bedrock, there will be "no more ice-rich material" to sample.

"Nobody knows when that will happen, maybe in 10 years, 50 years, or 100 years," the Opel expert expressed his concern.

He revealed that changes are clearly visible in the area. "The water is constantly dripping and huge chunks of frozen earth will slide off the mountain and fall," the expert warned.

The cause of the decline remains unclear, but researchers believe it is most likely related to deforestation and vibrations caused by heavy machinery.

By disrupting the insulating vegetation layers on the subsided surface, heat can penetrate deep into the soil, causing even deeply buried permafrost to melt. Meanwhile, with climate change progressing rapidly, this phenomenon is likely to continue unabated.

Experts believe that in the coming decades, other giant sinkholes similar to Batagay will appear, especially as studies show that the Arctic is warming at twice the rate of the rest of the world over the past 30 years. The melting of permafrost could have a significant impact on the planet's stability.

First, approximately 1.7 trillion tons of carbon—believed to be trapped within this frozen landmass—will be released into the atmosphere as the ice melts.

Secondly, pathogenic bacteria that have been trapped in the soil for millennia may begin to reappear.

The impact of the Batagay phenomenon on Earth's climate system remains unclear, according to paleontologist Thomas Opel, who says he and his team are still focused on figuring out those effects.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/xung-dot-nga-ukraine-de-doa-bi-mat-cong-vao-the-gioi-ngam-232310.html