Uploaded February 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
In the northern part of the country lies the Darvaza gas crater also known as the Gates of Hell. In 19 71 Soviet geologists drilling for oil accidentally tapped into a natural gas reserve causing the ground to collapse. To prevent methane from escaping into the atmosphere the Soviets set the crater on fire assuming it would burn out in a few weeks. The problem is the fire has been raging for more than 50 years and no one knows if it'll go out tomorrow morning or in a thousand more years.
In the northern part of the country lies the Darvaza gas crater also known as the Gates of Hell. In 19 71 Soviet geologists drilling for oil accidentally tapped into a natural gas reserve causing the ground to collapse. To prevent methane from escaping into the atmosphere the Soviets set the crater on fire assuming it would burn out in a few weeks. The problem is the fire has been raging for more than 50 years and no one knows if it'll go out tomorrow morning or in a thousand more years.
