This Copernicus Sentinel-2 image features the Batagaika Crater in Siberia. This is the biggest permafrost crater in the world, caused by melting permafrost and also known as a ‘mega-slump’.
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From above, the collapsed terrain resembles a tadpole or a stingray, with near-symmetrical ‘fins’ and a ‘tail’ pointing northeast. The crater – seen in the lower-right hand side of this image – is roughly 100 m deep and 1 km long but is growing at a rate of around 30 m a year. According to scientists, this rapid expansion began a few decades ago and is the result of deforestation and warmer temperatures. These conditions cause the ice in the crater to melt then evaporate or drain away, leaving residual sediments that subside.
While the thawing permafrost is a symptom of a warming planet, it also releases methane and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, contributing further to an increase of greenhouse gas emissions. Batagaika’s permafrost has been frozen for many tens of thousands of years and occasionally Ice Age fossils and mummified wildlife are found there.
While the tundra landscape surrounding the crater is green with shrubs and larch trees, few plants grow on the steep slopes of Batagaika, so it appears brown in this image.
About a kilometre northwest of the crater, a small hill is visible. Further north, the small urban settlement of Batagay, home to just over 4000 people, can be seen near the banks of the Yana river. This river flows over more than 870 km across Russia and meanders northwards on the left side of this image.
The Yana’s course has changed a lot over time. This migration is driven by the process of sediment deposition and erosion, sometimes forming oxbow lakes, creating the beautiful natural shapes visible in this image.