Standing On The Door To Hell
The “door to hell” in the Karakum desert of Turkmenistan was said to be an oil-rich site discovered by Soviet geologists in 1971. The crater gave way after they started drilling and emitted noxious gases which they attempted to quell by setting it on fire. They hoped it would burn out in a few days, but over 45 years later, the crater is still continuously burning. The giant sinkhole measures 69 meters wide and 30 meters deep and is known as the Darvaza gas crater.
