It’s hard to wrap your head around the fact that certain places and phenomenons on this Earth actually exist.
They seem like something that would be more fitting from the set of a movie, and this place is no exception! This place is the Darvaza Crater, which is located in Turkmenistan. It’s nicknamed the Door To Hell, and you’ll understand why once you see a few pictures of this phenomenon. It definitely looks like some sort of Hell on Earth.
This massive crater is located in the middle of the Karakum Desert which takes up approximately 70% of Turkmenistan. The Door To Hell itself is 225 feet wide and 98 feet deep.
Wikipedia
So what exactly is this crater and why is it burning? The answer is simple. Turkmenistan has the world’s fourth largest reserve of natural gas. The Darvaza Crater is right in the heart of a natural gas field that is in the Ahal region.
Stefan Krasowski/Rapid Travel Chai
This incredible place is about 168 miles from Ashgabat, which is the country’s capital.
HuffPost
Nobody is exactly sure how this crater was formed, as the story has been disputed for many years. But it is a fact that it’s been burning since 1971. The most accepted explanation is that there was a group of Soviet geologists that were drilling into the ground looking for natural gas, creating the massive burning hole in the ground.
Flickr
The team accidentally drilled into a cavern, and that is what created the massive sinkhole. Because they were worried that this gas would be poisonous, the geologists decided to light it on fire so it would burn out faster.
Flickr
Well… they were wrong and lit a fire that’s been burning for the last 40 years.
Mike Moss
Check out the video below to see the Door To Hell in Turkmenistan.
This is absolutely crazy to me. It seems like within the last 40 years technology would be advanced enough to put out the fire. There should be some sort of way to get this fire put out completely and conserve the natural gas that keeps the door to hell burning.
