Scary! Earth's massive 'Gateway to Hell' triples in size in 30 years. Scientists warn...

Siberia has been hosting a massive hole called the “Gateway to Hell" which has grown triple in size in just 30 years, according to scientists.

The 200-acre wide and 300-foot deep hole is present in the Yana highlands of Siberia and is called the 'Batagaika Crater'.

It has now been observed that the hole has been expanding faster than expected because of climate change.

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The hole, which is officially known as Batagay, is the second-oldest permafrost on Earth.

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It is so big that it is visible from space and now the experts are flocking to the deep pit to learn everything about it.

Roger Michaelides, ageophysicist at Washington University, said, “You're talking mostly about frozen dirt underground, which by definition you often can't see unless it's been exposed somehow, like in this mega slump."

"I think there is a lot we can learn from Batagaika, not only in terms of understanding how Batagaika will evolve with time, but also how similar features might develop and evolve over the Arctic," he added while speaking to Business Insider.

"Even if they're a tenth or a hundredth the size of Batagaika, the physics is fundamentally the same," Michaelides further said.

All about expanding 'Gateway to Hell' in Siberia

During the Quaternary Ice Age, about 2.58 million years ago, the land at the site had permanently frozen.

The locals first spotted Batagay in Yakutia,Russia and claimed that they heard horrific noises like loud booms or “screams” coming from it.

In the 1960S, the forest area was cleared and sunlight started reaching the ground of the hole and began warming it.

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It is still melting and some scientists have warned that this gateway can engulf most of the land and prove dangerous for nearby villages once more areas start to melt.

Nikita Tananaev, a researcher at Melnikov Permafrost Institute in Yakutsk, who was not part of the study, said that the nearby ecosystems are altering permanently because of leakage from the crater.

"This will lead to significant alterations to the riverine habitat, and the effect of sediment escaping the slump [the Batagaika crater] is even seen in the Yana River, the major river in the vicinity," he said.

(With inputs from agencies)