A giant hole in the middle of a desert, constantly spewing flames and lighting up the night sky has been burning non-stop for over 50 years!

Known as the ‘Door to Hell,’ this fiery crater is located in Turkmenistan, a country in Central Asia. It was never meant to exist, but due to a Soviet drilling accident in 1971, what was once solid ground collapsed into a massive pit of natural gas.

In an attempt to prevent a dangerous gas leak, scientists set it on fire, thinking it would burn out in a few weeks. Spoiler alert: It never did.

For over five decades, this eerie, hellish-looking crater has been burning, baffling experts and attracting daring tourists. But why hasn’t it stopped? And will it ever? 

Let’s unravel this fiery mystery.

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How the ‘Door to Hell’ was created

The origins of this fiery crater date back to 1971, during the Soviet Union’s drilling operations in Turkmenistan.

Soviet geologists were exploring the desert in search of oil and natural gas reserves. But while drilling, they hit an underground cavern filled with natural gas. The ground beneath their equipment collapsed, forming a massive crater.

The collapse released huge amounts of methane gas, which is extremely flammable and toxic. Fearing that it could poison nearby villages, scientists made a risky decision, set the gas on fire.

The Soviets believed the fire would burn off all the gas within a few weeks. That was 50 years ago. Instead of burning out, the crater has never stopped spewing flames, turning it into a permanent inferno.

Why hasn’t it stopped burning?

The simple answer? There’s too much gas underground.

Turkmenistan sits on one of the largest natural gas reserves in the world. The fire has continued for decades because there’s an almost unlimited supply of methane feeding the flames.

Experts still don’t know the full depth of the underground gas reserves. Some geologists believe the gas pockets extend far beyond the crater, making it nearly impossible to burn out naturally.

Over the years, there have been attempts to extinguish the flames, but none have worked. One major problem? If you seal it, the trapped gas could explode. So, the fire remains the safest option.

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The ‘Door to Hell’ today

Despite being a disaster, the burning crater has become a major tourist attraction. Adventurers from around the world travel to Turkmenistan just to see this unusual sight.

NASA and other researchers have studied the crater to understand extreme environments. Some even compare it to conditions on Mars because of its hostile landscape.

In 2022, Turkmenistan’s President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov ordered scientists to find a way to put out the fire, calling it a waste of natural resources. However, no successful solution has been found yet.

Will the ‘Door to Hell’ ever stop burning?

Nobody knows for sure. The fire could burn for another 50 years, or even forever.

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