President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly BerdimuhamedovHe ordered to find a way to eliminate the Darvaza gas crater, which has been burning in the Karakum desert for more than 50 years. Officially it has a beautiful name «The Radiance of the Karakums». Unofficially, it is called “The Gates of Hell”.
Where did it come from?
In 1971, geologists discovered and began to develop a natural gas field near the settlement of Darvaza in the Turkmen SSR. During the excavations, they came across a cavern – an underground cavity filled with gas. Soon an accident occurred: the surface of the earth collapsed, the drilling rig, along with the equipment, fell to the bottom of this cavity and was covered with soil. Fortunately, there were no casualties.
It was impossible to remove the equipment, besides, scientists faced a more urgent task: gas was coming out of the resulting failure, which already posed a danger to local residents. It was decided to set it on fire – geologists expected that the gas contained in the cavern and other cavities associated with it would burn out in a few days and the fire would go out by itself. But they were wrong: for more than half a century, the flame in this funnel 70 meters wide and 20 meters deep has been burning continuously, day and night.
The authorities of Turkmenistan have previously tried to extinguish the crater Darvaza (aka the Radiance of the Karakums, aka the Gates of Hell), but all to no avail. Then it was decided to make it a local attraction in order to attract tourists, especially foreign ones. In November 2013, one of them, Canadian traveler and researcher George Koronis He even went down to the bottom of the crater to take soil samples for analysis. Bacteria capable of living at high temperatures and not found anywhere else on the surface of the Earth were found in them.
Nevertheless, environmentalists continued to talk about the negative impact of the crater Darvaza on the environment and the health of the local population. Heeding their arguments, the President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov at the government meeting held on January 7 ordered to find a solution for extinguishing the fire. In addition to environmental harm, he drew attention to the economic component. “We are wasting valuable natural resources, for which we could make a profit, and it would go to improving the welfare of our people,” Berdimuhamedov said.
“The Gates of Hell”. Mysterious gas crater in Turkmenistan
In 1971, near the village of Darvaza in Turkmenistan, Soviet geologists discovered an accumulation of underground gas. As a result of excavations and drilling of an exploration well, geologists stumbled upon an underground cavern (void), which caused the earth to collapse and a large hole filled with gas was formed. © flickr.com/Tormod Sandtorv
The drilling rig with all the equipment and transport fell into the resulting hole, people were not injured in this incident. © www.globallookpress.com
To prevent gases harmful to people and livestock from coming out, they decided to set them on fire. Geologists assumed that the fire would go out in a few days, but they were mistaken. Since 1971, the natural gas coming out of the crater has been continuously burning day and night. © flickr.com/NMK Photography
The diameter of the crater is approximately 60 meters, the depth is about 20 meters. © www.globallookpress.com
Nothing trapped in the crater can get out. Any living being is doomed. Once in the afterlife through these “doors”, no one can get out. © flickr.com/Stefan Krasowski
The gas comes from underground, dividing into hundreds of burning torches of different sizes. In some torches, the flames reach 10-15 meters in height. © flickr.com/Tormod Sandtorv
The village of Darvaza was demolished in 2004. In 2010, President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov visited Darvaza and stated that the crater should be filled in, or other measures should be taken to limit its impact on gas production at other fields in the area. © www.globallookpress.com
In November 2013, the famous traveler and researcher George Koronis from Canada descended to the bottom of the crater to conduct research and collect samples. © flickr.com/gafa kassim
He managed to find bacteria that live at the bottom of the crater at high temperatures. These bacteria are not found anywhere on the surface of the earth and feel great living in a small ecosystem at the bottom of a red-hot crater. © flickr.com/Stefan Krasowski
Not far from the burning crater are two more similar sinkholes of similar origin. These craters don’t burn, the gas pressure is much weaker here. At the bottom of one of the craters there is bubbling liquid mud of light gray color, at the bottom of the other there is a turquoise—colored liquid. © www.globallookpress.com
“Gates of Hell”. Mysterious gas crater in Turkmenistan
In 1971, near the village of Darvaza in Turkmenistan, Soviet geologists discovered an accumulation of underground gas. As a result of excavations and drilling of an exploration well, geologists stumbled upon an underground cavern (void), which caused the earth to collapse and a large hole filled with gas was formed. © flickr.com/Tormod Sandtorv
The drilling rig with all the equipment and transport fell into the resulting hole, people were not injured in this incident. © www.globallookpress.com
To prevent gases harmful to people and livestock from coming out, they decided to set them on fire. Geologists assumed that the fire would go out in a few days, but they were mistaken. Since 1971, the natural gas coming out of the crater has been continuously burning day and night. © flickr.com/NMK Photography
The diameter of the crater is approximately 60 meters, the depth is about 20 meters. © www.globallookpress.com
Nothing trapped in the crater can get out. Any living being is doomed. Once in the afterlife through these “doors”, no one can get out. © flickr.com/Stefan Krasowski
The gas comes from underground, dividing into hundreds of burning torches of different sizes. In some torches, the flames reach 10-15 meters in height. © flickr.com/Tormod Sandtorv
The village of Darvaza was demolished in 2004. In 2010, President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov visited Darvaza and stated that the crater should be filled in, or other measures should be taken to limit its impact on gas production at other fields in the area. © www.globallookpress.com
In November 2013, the famous traveler and researcher George Koronis from Canada descended to the bottom of the crater to conduct research and collect samples. © flickr.com/gafa kassim
He managed to find bacteria that live at the bottom of the crater at high temperatures. These bacteria are not found anywhere on the surface of the earth and feel great living in a small ecosystem at the bottom of a red-hot crater. © flickr.com/Stefan Krasowski
Not far from the burning crater are two more similar sinkholes of similar origin. These craters don’t burn, the gas pressure is much weaker here. At the bottom of one of the craters there is bubbling liquid mud of light gray color, at the bottom of the other there is a turquoise—colored liquid. © www.globallookpress.com
Now to Deputy Prime MinisterShakhym Abdrakhmanov The person in charge of the fuel and energy complex in the country will have to find specialists (most likely, foreign ones) who represent how it is possible to “close” the Gates of hell forever, and are ready to take it up. Meanwhile, experts doubt that this is possible in principle. Russian geologist Alexander Salty he believes that gorenje in a giant crater can only be stopped by a directional explosion that will lead to the collapse of this object, but such work is expensive, and will not prevent further outflow of natural gas from the bowels of the earth.
If the funnel is “plugged”, for example, filling it with concrete (there is such an idea), the gas will accumulate inside and in any case will find a way out of the ground. Only this can happen as a result of an explosion, and it is impossible to predict where it will happen. Another Russian scientist, Doctor of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences, warns about this Vladimir Polevanov.
