The Gates of Hell Turkmenistan

The "Gate of Hell" or "Door to Hell", the Darvaza gas crater in Derweze, in the Karakum desert, Turkmenistan, has been burning for more than 40 years, becoming one of the most amazing landmarks in the world. It is a natural phenomenon, and it all started back in 1971 when geologists accidentally opened what today has become known as the Gates to Hell.

The gate of hell

Gateway to Hell

In 1971, Soviet geologists punched a hole through the crust of the Karakum Desert to the outside of the small village of Derweza, 260 kilometres of Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, with a population of 350. They were looking for natural gas – and how come they never found it!

The rig hit a large natural cavern filled with git to collapse quickly and possibly knock downand possibly some geologists, though those records remained sealed. A crater about 70 metres (230 feet) wide and 20 metres (65.5 feet) deep has begun spewing methane into the atmosphere.

Even in that era, concerns about the role of methane in climate change and its potential for greenhouse gas effects had affected the world's consciousness; leaking toxic gases from the ground near a village seems like a bad idea. Soviet scientists decided that their best option was to ignite the crater's gas. To prevent the spread of methane gas, geologists deliberately set fire to the crater. They believe the crater will burn for only a few weeks. However, the fire has been non-stop since 1971. For more than 40 years, experts still do not know when the fire started. A fire pit may stop burning tomorrow or in the next 100 years.

Despite being a slow-burning ecological disaster, the crater has also become one of Turkmenistan's tourist attractions, drawing adventurous souls into Karakum.

Darvaza Gas Crater

That was more than four decades ago, and the crater is still burning. Its light is visible from Derweze every night. Fittingly, the name "Derweze" means "gate" in the Turkmen language, so locals have dubbed the burning crater the "Gate to Hell".

Image credit: Martha de Jong-Lantink