The Derweze in Turkmenistan – or, as the locals have called
it, ‘The Door to Hell’. This giant hole of fire in the heart of the Karakum
Desert is a crater made by geologists more than 40 years ago, and the flames
within have been burning ever since.
Soviet geologists were drilling at the site in 1971 and tapped
into a cavern filled with natural gas.
But the ground beneath the drilling rig collapsed, leaving a
hole with a diameter of 70 metres.
Fearing that the hole would lead to the release of poisonous gases,
the team decided to burn it off.
It was hoped that the fire would use all the fuel within days,
but the gas is still burning today.The flames generate a golden glow which can be seen for miles
around Derweze, a village with a population of about 350. The site is about 260 kilometres north of Ashgabat, the
capital of Turkmenistan.
In April 2010 the country’s president, Gurbanguly
Berdimuhamedow, visited the site and ordered that the hole should be closed but
this is yet to happen. The area has significant oil and natural gas deposits.
Below picture is the gaint hole from the space:
Below picture is the gaint hole from the space:
