Rarely when science goes wrong, the results are quite astonishing which turns the experiment into a unique phenomena. Same thing happened in Turkmenistan, the phenomena occurring there is so unique that it almost sounds scary, where a small miscalculation resulted in what locals call the ‘Door to Hell’, a crater that has been burning since 1971. Situated in desert near a small village named Derweze, it’s one of the most unique places on Earth.

Though some people have many superstitions regarding this little hell, but it’s nothing supernatural. There is actually some very interesting science behind it.
Back in 1970s, surveys were being carried out when Soviet scientists found a huge reserve of natural gas in the area. In fact, it is one of the biggest gas reserve in the world. After it was discovered, scientists started digging up and mining the area, the government ordered the gas to be stored. So engineers started storing the gas until one day the ground beneath the camp exploded and the camp collapsed, leaving behind a 200 feet wide and 66 feet deep crater.
Because of the release of gigantic quantities of Methane, scientists feared that it would pollute the area thus endangering the populations nearby. They decided to burn off the gas, according to their calculations it would have burned in a few hours but they were dead wrong, the fire is still burning after nearly after half a century.
The smell of burning gases especially the rotten egg smell caused by burning sulfur can be felt from distant areas. This site is now a major international tourist attractant for Turkmenistan. The government ordered the site to be eliminated and plans to export it to other countries but lack of pipe lines hinders this step.
Here is the video to help you better understand about the fiery fire of the Hell on Earth.
I would not have guessed that this “door to hell” was the result of a gas explosion and a decision to burn the gas. While it is tragic that the camp was destroyed, the story about the burning crater is an interesting one. Nice work! 🙂
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I heard that a couple scientists got recordings of the gurgling sounds made by a divergent fault line, and that it sounded like a bunch of demonic voices conversing. I don’t know how accurate this is, as I’ve never heard a gargoyle garble, or listened particularly closely to a divergent fault line, but it’s an interesting thought. That hell has a sound.
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I wonder if the locals could gather around the fire and cook something…
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Reblogged this on RomeoMilea.
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Fantastic stuff! Keep up the good work!
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Thank you, and keep visiting Sparkonit! 🙂
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No one know when that will happen…. Thank you for the post, Sparkonit!
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Yeah, might be for another fifty (or more) years. Thank you, Amy! 🙂
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Thanks for sharing this it’s so interesting and humorous!
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Thanks! 🙂
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(1) Astounding how appallingly bad was the geologists’ surveying, eh?
(2) That kid has a terrific delivery! – very appealing! 😀
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Yeah, it’s amazing how their mistake gave us something to fascinate about. Thanks. 🙂
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Another great find. This is fascinating stuff.
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Thank you, ahaver1. 🙂
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