The Door to Hell (Darvaza Gas Crater)

In 1971, Soviet geologists were drilling for natural gas near the village of Darvaza in the Karakum Desert when the ground beneath their rig collapsed into an underground cavern. The drilling equipment and part of the camp fell into the hole. The crater was roughly 69 meters across and 30 meters deep. Methane gas began seeping from the exposed cavern.

The Decision

The engineers decided to burn off the gas to prevent it from poisoning the surrounding area and livestock. They set the crater on fire, expecting the gas to burn out within a few weeks. The gas did not run out. The crater has been burning continuously for over fifty years.

The Night

By daylight, the crater is a large, unremarkable pit in flat desert. At night, it transforms. The flames illuminate the pit from below, creating an orange glow visible for kilometers. The heat distorts the air. The fire roars. Tourists who camp at the rim describe the sound as a sustained low rumble, punctuated by the hiss of gas erupting from cracks in the crater wall. Local Turkmen herders call it the Door to Hell.

Attempts to Close It

President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow ordered the crater extinguished in 2010, then again in 2022, concerned about wasted gas reserves and environmental impact. No successful method has been found. The gas continues to feed the fire from below. The crater may burn until the gas reservoir is depleted, which could take decades or centuries. No one knows the size of the reservoir beneath it.