The Darvaza gas crater known locally as the "Door to Hell" or "Gates of Hell", is a natural gas field collapsed into an underground cavern located in Derweze, Turkmenistan. To prevent the spread of methane gas,geologists set it ablaze and it is thought to have been burning continuously since 1971.In 1971 in the Karakum desert, not far from the Darvaza village (also known as Derweze) that is translated from Turkmen as ‘gate’, Soviet geologists started to drill at the site where they tapped into a cavern filled with natural gas. During the drilling an accident happened, equipment fell down in a big hole. No one sustained injury, but there was gas coming out of the hole. scared that the hole would eventually lead to the release of poisonous gases, the team decided to burn it off. Thinking that the fire would use all the fuel within few days, but weeks, months and years passed, and it is still burning today.
