The Door to Hell: The Fire That Has Burned for Over 50 Years
The blazing Darvaza Gas Crater in Turkmenistan, where an underground fire has burned continuously for more than half a century Deep within the Karakum Desert of Turkmenistan lies a place that appears to belong in a nightmare. Flames roar from a vast crater day and night, illuminating the surrounding desert with an eerie orange glow. Locals call it The Door to Hell, while scientists know it as the Darvaza Gas Crater. The inferno has burned continuously for more than half a century, leading many to wonder how a fire could burn for so long. Is it simply a geological accident, or does the crater hide secrets that have yet to be uncovered? Today, the Door to Hell remains one of the world's most extraordinary and mysterious landmarks. A Desert Full of Natural Gas Turkmenistan sits on one of the largest natural gas reserves on Earth. Beneath the endless sands of the Karakum Desert are enormous underground pockets of methane formed over millions of years. During the Soviet era, geologists ...