A burning crater near Darvaza, Turkmenistan, is called “The Door to Hell” by the locals. Decades ago, geologists were drilling for gas when they hit an underground cavern filled with gas. The drilling rig and camp collapsed into the cave and ignited the gas, which has been burning ever since!Check out a few other videos of this amazing place.
Flaming Crater, Darvaza Turkmenistan 1/6
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Flaming Crater, Darvaza Turkmenistan 3/6
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Flaming Crater, Darvaza Turkmenistan 6/6
Wikipedia gives a few more tidbits about the raging fire -- its been raging since 1971!
In 1971 during a drilling, geologists accidentally found an underground cavern filled with natural gas. The ground on which the drilling rig was placed collapsed, leaving a large gaping hole exposed with a diameter of about 50-100 meters. To avoid poisonous gases coming out of the hole, it was decided to let the gases burn. As of 2008, gases in the underground cavern are still burning without interruption.Some more incredible pictures here. Apparently, Turkmenistan has the world's fourth-largest reserves of natural gas.
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