The Gate To Hell Has Opened In Russia, See The Wild Footage
A massive sinkhole opened a 'gate to hell' in Russia, as an old ore mine collapsed out of nowhere.
Those who can take the time off and have the resources to go enjoy a day on the ski slopes will expect a few things: Perfect snow, nice bright sun, and a steaming hot drink at the lodge at the end of the day. The last thing on any skier’s mind would be a 100-foot sinkhole opening a new gate to hell under their feet. On December 15, 2022, in the rural Russian town of Sheregesh, an iron-ore mine collapsed near one of Russia’s most popular ski resorts, which you can see below:
First reported on a Telegram channel by @incident_kuzbass, the footage shows a smoking sinkhole with a winter cabin teetering on the edge of the massive crater. This geological event is going to absolutely ruin little Nikola’s holiday vacation, as getting in the front door would require extensive fire protection and a several hundred-foot vertical climb.
Without a doubt, this footage looks utterly apocalyptic but thankfully not a single casualty was reported. With amazing preparation and forward thinking, local Russian authorities managed to evacuate the area before the collapse, due to concerns over ground instability. Furthermore, the authorities were able to limit the amount of damage to most of the area.
Evgeny Chuvilin, a leading research scientist at the Center for Petroleum Science and Engineering at the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology told Newsweek that the collapse was expected and not uncommon in the Siberian regions of Russia.
Chuvilin went on to explain that these collapses are a result of methane building up in the permafrost and then explosively releasing underground. To the non-science minded, it’s the same as building a sandcastle over a balloon and then popping the balloon. Except fill the galloon with gasoline and pop the balloon by setting it on fire. Like this collapse and other collapses, when the high-pressure gas bubble explodes, it sends rock, ice, and dirt high into the air to land on houses, cars, and unfortunately people, damaging the surrounding area.
According to Chuvilin and Newsweek, only 20 ‘gates to hell’ have been found in northern Russia since 2014 but as climate change continues to warm the planet, more of these ‘gates to hell’ will most likely open, whether from mining or natural gas build-ups when more and more of the permafrost melts.
What is even more surprising is that the sinkhole in Sheregesh is small in comparison to other ‘gates to hell’ found in northern Russia. One found on the Gydan peninsula way up in the arctic circle measured 650 feet across. For reference, that’s roughly two football fields across.
In the town of Sheregesh, there is limited damage to most of the infrastructure but all bus services have been suspended and the road adjacent to the sinkhole was closed in the interest of public safety. No matter how anyone could cut it, Russian soil is at high risk of looking like the dark side of the moon as more of the Siberian permafrost melts and more and more ‘gates to hell’ open up. Hopefully, the next one avoids another ski-resort town.
