The Darvaza Gas Crater

The Darvaza gas crater Turkmenistan, or ‘Door to hell’, is a 60 m wide and 20 m deep hole in the heart of the hot Karakum Desert in Turkmenistan. This crater has been on fire for the last 40 years. The large crater is a result of a Soviet gas exploration accident that occurred in 1971. Technically known as the Darvaza gas crater, locals know the crater as “The Gates of Hell” or ‘Door to hell’. Its fiery glow can be seen for miles around.

How long has the Darvaza gas crater been burning

The Karakum area of Turkmenistan is rich in natural gas. It is said that while drilling in 1971, the Soviet oil rig tapped into a massive underground natural gas cavern, causing the ground to collapse and the entire drilling rig to fall into the crater. To prevent the escape of poisonous gas into the atmosphere, geologists decided to set the pit on fire. Geo-scientists hoped the fire would use all the fuel in a few days, but the supply of natural gas below the crater is near infinite. The gas-fed flames continue burning to this day. It has been burning for over 55 years, ever since Soviet geologists accidentally created the crater during a drilling operation.

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The Soviet drilling rig is believed to still be down somewhere, on the other side of the “Door to Hell.” It is burning with a tremendous amount of flame, and the smell of burning sulfur can be detected from a distance that becomes quite strong as you near the hot edge of the crater. “Day or night, it is clearly burning. Visitors can hear the roar of the fire if they stand at the edge. There are thousands of little flames all around the edges and towards the center.

‘’Door to hell’’ is the favorite destination for Geo-tourists. People can trek into the desert to witness the site in all its blazing glory. The Turkmenistan government hopes it’ll become a tourist site. The nearby desert has already become a popular place for wilderness camps.

Darvaza Gas Crater Deaths

The Darvaza Gas Crater Turkmenistan, a unique tourist attraction, boasts a perfect safety record with zero reported fatalities. Enhanced safety fencing makes accidents unlikely, and the only recorded entry was a meticulously planned research expedition by a Canadian explorer in 2013.

Read- Geotourism And Modern Geotechniques

How to Reach Darvaza Gas Crater Turkmenistan

Reaching the Darvaza Gas Crater requires starting in the capital, Ashgabat, and hiring a robust 4×4 vehicle for the approximately 3.5 to 4-hour journey. This specialized transport is essential, as the final 8 kilometers leading to the crater are off-road and inaccessible by standard public transportation like buses or trains (which only reach nearby towns like Dasoguz).