The strange phenomenon of the Karakum desert, in Turkmenistan "Door to Hell"

carrizmex (39)in #science • 7 years ago

hi comunity! Although in the world there are several places that could occupy your nightmares, the gates of hell are not only highlighted by the rarity of the phenomenon, but by its location and characteristics, which have been burning for decades.

Door to hell

The Darwaza well or Darwaza crater, also known as the Gateway to Hell, is an old gas prospect located in the Karakum desert, near the small town of Darvaza, in the capital of Turkmenistan.

The Karakum desert, which occupies 70% of the country or 350,000 km², is very rich in oil and natural gas. This crater of 69 meters in diameter, 30 meters deep and an interior temperature of 400 ° C, is a kind of fireworks and in the center you can see boiling flames.

The Gate to Hell if it exists and is in Asia - Source

How was this crater formed?

It is not the work of Nature, but rather the unexpected result of a Soviet mining survey carried out in the 1970s, when Turkmenistan was still part of the Soviet Union.
A team of geologists was drilling the ground in search of natural gas deposits, when suddenly they came across an underground cavern that caused the excavation to collapse, this caused other points in the desert to collapse into large craters. The largest crater was 70 meters wide and 20 meters deep, and large amounts of methane escaped from it, a gas that takes the place of oxygen, making breathing difficult. The animals of the area began to die and the scientists decided that it was better to set fire to the crater, so that the methane would quickly be consumed. The problem was that they did not know the measure of natural gas they were facing and the fire never went out.

Representation of the Crater - Source

The door of hell still lit:

Although the well of Darvaza is located in a region of difficult access to visit the area, many curious people come regularly to this desolate region of Turkmenistan to observe the phenomenon with interest and amazement, however, the intense heat that emanates from the crater only allows approaching its edges for a few minutes, until the temperature becomes unbearable, because it is not known when or how the fire could be extinguished, if it ever happens.
In recent years, the country's authorities have developed plans to plug the crater, because they fear for the amount of natural gas that the desert may develop in the future. However, none has been applied yet and the crater is still open.
The gases from the well, which would have supposedly been extinguished in a matter of weeks, are still burning and burning unceasingly since 1971; that is, almost forty-seven years ago. It is even completely ignored for how many more years the flames of The Gate of Hell will continue to burn.
At night, the spectacle of Darvaza's ardent pit is literally Dantesque: the fire shines in all its magnitude, giving the well an appearance similar to that of a fiery volcanic crater, which undoubtedly lives up to the name of Hell's Gate.