Earth's fiery ‘Door to Hell' is starting to close
The Earth is dotted with numerous 'gateways to Hell.' In the remote Siberian tundra, the Batagay Crater continues to expand as the world's largest permafrost slump, while Nicaragua's extremely active 'Masaya's Hell' caldera has spent years churning up lava and gas. But while other fiery holes rumble away, one of the most infamous so-called hell gates is slowing down for the first time since its accidental creation. Experts monitoring the fires inside the Darvaza Gas Crater (aka Turkmenistan's 'Door to Hell') say the human-made inferno seems to be finally diminishing after spending over half a century burning away millions of cubic meters' worth of natural gas every year.
The exact cause behind the Darvaza Gas Crater—also known as the Shining of Karakum—remains a mystery, but sinkhole's broader origins likely trace back to 1971. Around that time, Soviet geologists surveying the region's vast fuel reserves appear to have accidentally drilled into a large underground gas pocket. The team then ignited the leaking fumes to prevent the wider release of toxic gas and prevent a major environmental disaster. The geologists allegedly hoped the resultant fires would burn out in a few weeks—instead, the blaze has continued for nearly 55 years.
Currently, Turkmenistan's Door to Hell measures roughly 230 feet wide by 100 feet deep, and often exceeds 1,832 degrees Fahrenheit. It's estimated that the landmark attracts over 10,000 visitors every year. Meanwhile, the country's government has spent decades wrestling with how to best handle the constant blaze.
But at a recent international conference on hydrocarbon development hosted in Turkmenistan's capital of Ashgabat, Darvaza's stewards say the Door to Hell may finally be shutting on its own.
'The reduction [in fires] is nearly threefold,' Irina Luryeva, director of the country's state-owned energy company Turkmengaz, told conference attendees last week.
Whereas the crater's fiery illumination could once be seen from miles across the desert, Luryeva explained it's now only visible upon close inspection. They also added that recent efforts have concentrated on constructing multiple containment wells to capture the remaining leaking methane before it reaches the atmosphere.
It's still unclear when Darvaza will close for good, but all current evidence suggests the end is finally near for Turkmenistan's Door to Hell.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
13 Hikers Rescued in Grand Canyon Within a Week, and Authorities Have Pinpointed a Reason
It's not out of the ordinary for there to be search and rescue missions at the Grand Canyon. But 13 in just seven days is pretty up there. And that being said, there's actually a perfectly good explanation for all those missions. According to Outside magazine, the Grand Canyon's Search and Rescue team can average between one and two missions a day. Those missions include medical evacuations by helicopter, which are typical during the busy summer tourist season. But one week in late May there were 13 helicopter rescue missions. According to the magazine, the rescue missions ranged from a hiker with a lower leg injury at mile 35 of the Colorado River, to a person suffering from a heat-related illness on one of the canyon's main corridor trails. The weather elements and injuries is expected. But a construction site? Yes, construction on the famed canyon's Transcanyon water pipeline, which stretches 12.5 miles across the canyon. The pipeline delivers drinking water from a spring on the North Rim to local hotels and lodges on the South Rim. The pipeline was built in the 1960s and it has required a lot of repairs as of late. A four-year, $200 million project commenced in 2023, resulting in popular trail closures, thus leading to all those late May rescues, says Grand Canyon Park preventive search and rescue supervisor Meghan Smith.'Construction on our pipeline has closed key sections of main trails that people would otherwise use as routes in and out of the canyon,' Smith told Outside. 'And it's rerouting people into areas they don't normally go, which is causing problems for us.' Some of those closures includes the River Trail on the canyon floor, which connects hikers to the Bright Angel Trail. The River Trail is expected to reopen in October. But those caught off guard about the construction to replace the water pipeline face an expected daunting task. 'It adds another 4.5 miles of distance on a trail with no shade and no water, where temperatures regularly exceed 110 degrees Fahrenheit,' Smith says. 'Others are skipping the detour and simply sticking to the South Kaibab, which is extremely strenuous and also lacks shade and water.' You've been warned. 13 Hikers Rescued in Grand Canyon Within a Week, and Authorities Have Pinpointed a Reason first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 9, 2025
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Earth's fiery ‘Door to Hell' is starting to close
The Earth is dotted with numerous 'gateways to Hell.' In the remote Siberian tundra, the Batagay Crater continues to expand as the world's largest permafrost slump, while Nicaragua's extremely active 'Masaya's Hell' caldera has spent years churning up lava and gas. But while other fiery holes rumble away, one of the most infamous so-called hell gates is slowing down for the first time since its accidental creation. Experts monitoring the fires inside the Darvaza Gas Crater (aka Turkmenistan's 'Door to Hell') say the human-made inferno seems to be finally diminishing after spending over half a century burning away millions of cubic meters' worth of natural gas every year. The exact cause behind the Darvaza Gas Crater—also known as the Shining of Karakum—remains a mystery, but sinkhole's broader origins likely trace back to 1971. Around that time, Soviet geologists surveying the region's vast fuel reserves appear to have accidentally drilled into a large underground gas pocket. The team then ignited the leaking fumes to prevent the wider release of toxic gas and prevent a major environmental disaster. The geologists allegedly hoped the resultant fires would burn out in a few weeks—instead, the blaze has continued for nearly 55 years. Currently, Turkmenistan's Door to Hell measures roughly 230 feet wide by 100 feet deep, and often exceeds 1,832 degrees Fahrenheit. It's estimated that the landmark attracts over 10,000 visitors every year. Meanwhile, the country's government has spent decades wrestling with how to best handle the constant blaze. But at a recent international conference on hydrocarbon development hosted in Turkmenistan's capital of Ashgabat, Darvaza's stewards say the Door to Hell may finally be shutting on its own. 'The reduction [in fires] is nearly threefold,' Irina Luryeva, director of the country's state-owned energy company Turkmengaz, told conference attendees last week. Whereas the crater's fiery illumination could once be seen from miles across the desert, Luryeva explained it's now only visible upon close inspection. They also added that recent efforts have concentrated on constructing multiple containment wells to capture the remaining leaking methane before it reaches the atmosphere. It's still unclear when Darvaza will close for good, but all current evidence suggests the end is finally near for Turkmenistan's Door to Hell.
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Yahoo
These Wisconsin lakes named some of the best vacation spots in the US
As temperatures begin to rise, going swimming in a lake might be one of the best ways to cool off. Wisconsin has over 15,000 lakes, including three that were recognized as among the best lake vacation spots in the nation by Travel + Leisure magazine. Lake Superior (No. 1), Lake Winnebago (No. 8) and Lake Michigan (No. 12) made the list of the top 25 locations. Here's more about what Travel + Leisure said: Travel + Leisure notes that Lake Winnebago is perfect for Wisconsin windsurfers in the summer: "Steady wind and easy launch make Winnebago the lake of choice for Wisconsin windsurfers and kite surfers — especially in summer, when the shallow, sandy bottom creates water temperatures that are downright tropical (75 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit). In winter, the lake converts to a natural rink for sail-powered ice racing." While Lake Michigan runs through three states, the experiences in each state can differ. "The pastoral shores of Wisconsin's Door Peninsula offer totally different sun-and-sand experiences on the same lake," Travel + Leisure said. Last year, Lake Michigan and Milwaukee were also recognized in a New York Times article about great but not-so-obvious beaches to visit. Like Lake Michigan, Lake Superior runs through several states. As the largest Great Lake, it's vast enough that it could easily hold the water from all of the other Great Lakes. "There's plenty of room for fish to thrive: salmon, trout, walleye, smelt, whitefish, herring, northern pike, smallmouth bass and many other game species can be caught in abundance in along the lake's tristate shores," Travel + Leisure said. Bayfield was named as one of the "charter hubs" for fishing. The Apostle Islands, located along the shores of Lake Superior, were also named one of the 50 Most Beautiful Places in America by Conde Nast Traveler. Lake Superior: Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin Walden Pond: Massachusetts Lake Havasu: Arizona Lady Bird Lake: Texas Lake Chelan: Washington Lake Champlain: New York and Vermont Crater Lake: Oregon Lake Winnebago: Wisconsin Lake Kabetogama: Minnesota Lake Clark: Alaska Lake Tahoe: California and Nevada Lake Michigan: Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana and Illinois Finger Lakes: New York Lake Powell: Utah and Arizona Moosehead Lake: Maine Yellowstone Lake: Wyoming Table Rock Lake: Missouri Caddo Lake: Texas, Louisiana Lake Charles: Louisiana Lake Washington; Washington Flathead Lake: Montana Lake Oconee: Georgia Lake Erie: Ohio Lake Coeur d'Alene: Idaho Lake of the Ozarks: Missouri This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Lake Superior, Lake Winnebago, Lake Michigan in best lake vacations
