'Megaslump' Crater Grows in Siberia as Permaforst Melts

A crater in the Siberian permafrost continues to grow as warming ground temperatures triggered by deforestation in the 1960s have a knock-on effect on older ice below the surface, researchers in the UK have said.

Researchers at the University of Sussex, who captured this video in May 2016, told the BBC that the crater offers clues to how the planet’s climate reacts to changes. The stratified layers of the crater’s edge offer a snapshot of 200,000 years of climate history.

The crater, known as a “megaslump,” is the largest of its kind and continues to grow, according to reports. Credit: Julian Murton, University of Sussex via Storyful