Gates of Hell, Turkmenistan
The Gates of Hell were created in 1971 when a Soviet drilling rig accidentally punched into a massive underground natural gas cavern, causing the ground to collapse and the entire drilling rig to fall in. The event triggered the crumbly sedimentary rock of the desert to collapse in other places too, creating a domino-effect that resulted in several open craters by the time all was said and done. The largest of these craters measures about 230-feet across and 65-feet deep.
Reportedly, no one was injured in the collapse, but scientists soon had a problem: the natural gas escaping from the crater. Natural gas is composed mostly of methane, which, though not toxic, does displace oxygen, making it difficult to breathe. This wasn’t so much an issue for scientists, but for animals that call the Karakum Desert home. Shortly after the collapse, animals roaming the area began to die. The escaping methane also posed dangers due to its flammability — there needs to be just five percent methane in the air for an explosion to potentially take place.
So scientists decided to light the crater on fire, hoping that all the dangerous natural gas would burn away in a few weeks’ time.
The crater hasn’t stopped burning since.
#1-#4: it looks like a huge tub filled with gold.
ReplyDeleteSounds like the same engineering genius and resource-management skills that brought us Chernobyl.
ReplyDeleteThe "gates" probably get a fair bit of traffic. From what I've heard about Turkmenistan, Hell would be something of an improvement.
Humans sure are fucking up the planet, aren't we?
ReplyDelete