TURKMENISTAN-DOOR

The Darvaza gas crater known locally as the "Door to Hell" or "Gates of Hell", is a natural gas field collapsed into an underground cavern located in Derweze, Turkmenistan. To prevent the spread of methane gas,geologists set it ablaze and it is thought to have been burning continuously since 1971.In 1971 in the Karakum desert, not far from the Darvaza village (also known as Derweze) that is translated from Turkmen as ‘gate’, Soviet geologists started to drill at the site where they tapped into a cavern filled with natural gas. During the drilling an accident happened, equipment fell down in a big hole. No one sustained injury, but there was gas coming out of the hole. scared that the hole would eventually lead to the release of poisonous gases, the team decided to burn it off. Thinking that the fire would use all the fuel within few days, but weeks, months and years passed, and it is still burning today.

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The gas crater is located near the village of Derweze, also known as Darvaza. It is in the middle of the Karakum Desert, about 260 kilometres (160 mi) north of Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan. The gas reserve here is one of the largest in the world. The name "Door to Hell" was given to the field by the locals, referring to the fire, boiling mud, and orange flames in the large crater.