Who knew that the entrance to hell was in Turkmenistan?
Known as the “Door to Hell”, this natural gas field in Derweze, Turkmenistan has been burning for over four decades.
This surreal spot is located roughly 160 miles from Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan. It was originally discovered by Soviet Engineers seeking oil in 1971. Thinking it was an oil field, they set up a drilling rig to identify the quality. They didn’t quite find what they were looking for. Due to the disturbance, the 230-foot long/100-foot deep stretch of land collapsed into an underground cavern. Oops.
Geologists came in to further assess the area, and they worried that gas seeping from the site (mainly methane) would spread to nearby towns and become a hazard to residents. They set it on fire in attempt to mitigate the problem that year, and it’s been burning ever since.
The crater is slightly smaller than the size of a football field and is one of the largest gas reserves on the planet. The site has become quite a popular tourist attraction, though the president of Turkmenistan demanded it be closed in 2010.
Surprisingly, someone has actually set foot inside this crater.
Adventurer and explorer George Kourounis teamed with National Geographic to climb into the hole in 2013 to collect soil samples as a way to determine whether or not organisms could survive in such a location.
He wore a heat-reflective suit, self-contained breathing apparatus, and a climbing harness made of Kevlar. He described it as “another planet” and a “coliseum of fire”. Wow! We think we’ll stay out of there, thanks.
Watch incredible drone footage of this extraordinary place with Gangnam Style playing in the background (what else?) here:
