GATE TO HELL: Not As Far As You'd Imagine

Remember the 50 Year Old Fire in Centralia Pennsylvania? Of course you do. Because you have subscribed this this blog and thus receive regular updates of geological happenings in the world. Thank you for doing that by the way.

So if you thought the 50 year old fire was bad, wait till you hear this. Somewhere in Turkmenistan in a town called Derweze ( take some time to Google that location), there is another crater that has been on fire for 40 years.

These are probably geologists wondering how far hell was from where they stood. Photo credit: DailyMail

This giant hell hole in the middle of the Karakum Desert is a result an assumption gone haywire. Soviet geologists in 1971 were drilling for natural gas when the cavern collapsed and their rig got lost in the 70 m wide hole. In anger, Boris, the lead contractor, decided to make the hole pay by setting it on fire.

'Burn in hell you piece of schist!'

But as it turned out, the supply of gas was almost unlimited and the fire has been burning ever since.

Watchu doing Philpski? Nothing just chilling

According to the Daily Mail: 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.

What I think should happen is they find ways of harvesting that fire. Maybe put up pipes that will go to everyone home (it's a small town) where it will be used for heating shower water and swimming pools.


What do you think they should do with it? Let me know.

If the locals haven't started using this pit for disposal of waste, then they are really wasting it.

Beautiful

This is why you need good data.  And maybe some 3d imaging

 Forl the actual real reason as to why they burnt off the gas, read the article on the DailyMail