“Gate of Hell” in Turkmenistan has been burning for 5 decades

The so-called “Gate of Hell” is a crater in Turkmenistan where methane gas has been burning uninterruptedly for more than 50 years — and it was created, accidentally, due to human error.

In the 1970s, Turkmenistan was part of the Soviet Union, and workers from the country explored the province of Dsoguz looking for sources of oil and gas. When drilling a field in the region, the ground began to crack and only stopped when a crater 70 meters in diameter and 20 meters deep opened.

Today, the landform is known as Darvaza Crater, but the shocking sight of fire led to the nickname “Gate to Hell.” The fire was intentional, an attempt to extinguish the methane leak that started after it was opened, but, five decades later, the fire has not stopped — and continues to burn at more than 400 ºC.

Is the Gate of Hell dangerous?

The existence of the Darvaza Crater began to raise concerns among Turkmen authorities. Some of the fears are linked to one of the country’s energy sources — fossil fuels. If it continued to burn, the hole could leak too much methane, depleting the reserves. Furthermore, when escaping into the atmosphere, the gas could be a pollutant.

Climate scientist Euan Nisbet, from the University of London, spoke to National Geographic on the subject and stated that the methane leak from the crater is insignificant compared to other leaks in the country.

Furthermore, Guillermo Rein, from Imperial College London, states that the gas burning is a good thing — most of the methane, when it burns, turns into CO2 and water vapor. Although they are greenhouse gases, they are much less polluting than methane, and prevent the crater from releasing it into the atmosphere.

The point is that the crater’s impressive appearance is a powerful reminder to the world that the country’s authorities cannot deal with its leaks, according to George Kourounis, explorer of the crater. National Geographic who was the first to descend in Darvaza, in 2013.

How to close the Gate of Hell?

Because of the political implications, there are plans to close the crater. To do this, two things are necessary — put out the fire and prevent the gas from continuing to leak. Stopping the fire, according to experts, is “easy”, simply cementing the hole with quick-drying cement. Choking off the gas source is more difficult, as the methane would simply escape via another route, giving the country another leak to deal with.

It would first be necessary to find the underground fissure that is emitting the gas, and it would then be possible to pour concrete to close the passage. The procedures, according to Rein, are delicate.

Interestingly, there have already been plans to bomb the crater, a method that has worked to extinguish fires in the past — including with nuclear warheads, something last done in 1981 by Soviet engineers. The country’s former president, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, was the one who suggested the idea, discarding it before leaving power in 2022.

The politician, however, left the task of dealing with the Darvaza Crater in the hands of his son and successor, with the idea of ​​putting out the fire and using the methane for energy purposes. Counterintuitively, however, if you don’t plan to use resources to do the procedure carefully, it would be best to leave the hole alone.

Source: AFP via National Geographic

Trending on Canaltech: