giant hole in the desert which has been on fire for more than 40 YEARS

[Serpo]

The Door to Hell: Take a look inside a giant hole in the desert which has been on fire for more than 40 YEARS

By Rob Preece (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/search.html?s=&authornamef=Rob+Preece)
PUBLISHED: 02:08 GMT, 27 July 2012 | UPDATED: 08:08 GMT, 27 July 2012





At first glance, it could be a dramatic scene from a science-fiction movie.

But this giant hole of fire in the heart of the Karakum Desert is not the aftermath of an attack on Earth, launched from outer space.

It is a crater made by geologists more than 40 years ago, and the flames within have been burning ever since.

Welcome to Derweze in Turkmenistan - or, as the locals have called it, 'The Door to Hell'.
Scroll down for video

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/07/27/article-2179622-143B9098000005DC-208_634x423.jpg On the edge: Two people stand and look into the burning hole, which has become known as 'The Door to Hell'
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/07/27/article-2179622-143B90A8000005DC-825_634x368.jpg Illuminating: The hole in Derweze, Turkmenistan, is 70 metres wide and the flames within light up the sky



http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/07/27/article-2179622-143B90B1000005DC-74_634x384.jpg Light show: A spectacular view of the flames burning inside the crater in the heart of the Karakum Desert


http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/07/27/article-0-143B9052000005DC-190_634x421.jpg Dramatic: The raging fire inside the crater has been burning for more than 40 years

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/07/27/article-2179622-143B905A000005DC-799_634x425.jpg Hot: A closer view of the fire inside the hole, which locals have named 'The Door to Hell'

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/07/27/article-2179622-143B9067000005DC-720_634x389.jpg Fiery: The blaze began when geologists decided to burn off natural gas they discovered while drilling at the site





Soviet geologists were drilling at the site in 1971 and tapped into a cavern filled with natural gas.
But the ground beneath the drilling rig collapsed, leaving a hole with a diameter of 70 metres.


More...



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Enormous haboob dust cloud 2,000 feet tall covers the city of Phoenix and cuts power to 9,000 homes (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2179556/Enormous-haboob-dust-cloud-2-000-feet-tall-covers-city-Phoenix-cuts-power-9-000-homes.html)


Fearing that the hole would lead to the release of poisonous gases, the team decided to burn it off.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/07/27/article-2179622-143B9084000005DC-129_306x216.jpg The hole is located in Derweze, in the middle of the Karakum Desert in Turkmenistan

It was hoped that the fire would use all the fuel within days, but the gas is still burning today.

The flames generate a golden glow which can be seen for miles around Derweze, a village with a population of about 350.

The site is about 260 kilometres north of Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan.

In April 2010 the country's president, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, visited the site and ordered that the hole should be closed but this is yet to happen.
The Karakum Desert, which covers much of Turkmenistan, lies east of the Caspian Sea.
The Aral Sea is located to the north and the Amu Darya river and the Kyzyl Kum Desert lie to the north-east.
The area has significant oil and natural gas deposits.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/07/27/article-2179622-143B9075000005DC-787_634x381.jpg Landmark: The bright glow created by the fire can be seen for miles around the village

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/07/27/article-2179622-143B9090000005DC-212_634x364.jpg Shining: The hole looks like a golden oasis in the middle of the desert in Turkmenistan

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/07/27/article-2179622-143B908C000005DC-451_634x427.jpg Long way down: The hole was formed in 1971 when ground beneath a drilling rig collapsed

Spectacle: The hole attracts visitors, more than 40 years after Soviet geologists drilled at the site

Never-ending: Geologists hoped the fire would use all the gas in the hole within days, but it is still burning today


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2179622/The-Door-Hell-Giant-hole-Karakum-Desert-40-YEARS.html

[Serpo]

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/07/27/article-2179622-143B907E000005DC-180_634x452.jpghttp://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/07/27/article-2179622-143B904A000005DC-233_634x404.jpg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=aDJ8XUghYXw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=aDJ8XUghYXw

[palani]

Couple of tankers of liquid CO2 should handle that fire quite nicely.

[Dogman]

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&biw=1525&bih=741&q=40%C2%B015%279.36%22N++58%C2%B026%2722.29%22E&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x3f62b24a6e0546d3:0x774fdcec92560232,%2B40% C2%B0+15%27+9.39%22,+%2B58%C2%B0+26%27+21.88%22&gl=us&sa=X&ei=FZASUMWuB5Ks8QSpvIHoBA&ved=0CAcQ8gEwAA


or

40°15'9.36"N 58°26'22.29"E

[osoab]

They're not capping this one and it's been on fire since 1971! (http://gold-silver.us/forum/showthread.php?29802-They-re-not-capping-this-one-and-it-s-been-on-fire-since-1971%21&highlight=Derweze)

[k-os]

They're not capping this one and it's been on fire since 1971! (http://gold-silver.us/forum/showthread.php?29802-They-re-not-capping-this-one-and-it-s-been-on-fire-since-1971%21&highlight=Derweze)



I thought I read about it before. So creepy.

[JDRock]

i wonder how much natural gas has burnt in that great a pit for that long of a time?? How can the peak oil crowd persist in their opinions in light of this?

[iOWNme]

i wonder how much natural gas has burnt in that great a pit for that long of a time?? How can the peak oil crowd persist in their opinions in light of this?


You beat me to it!