Hell’s Gate in Turkmenistan

At first glance, Hell’s Gate is a totally amazing place. That is why it is named after him and reminds us of the scariest stories about the underworld. Although in the world there are several places that your nightmares could occupy, the gates of hell not only stand out for the strangeness of the phenomenon but for their location and characteristics. It is located in the Karakum desert, near the capital of Turkmenistan.

In recent times not only tourists have come there in large numbers, but spiders have been attracted suffering death when falling into the well. The Gates of Hell is not a place that was always there, but its history dates back to the 70s, when Turkmenistan was still part of the Soviet Union.

Soviet geologists began digging for oil, and thought they found it, draining the place. However, they did not notice that they were located above a natural gas cavern, which collapsed under the weight carrying them with it. This caused other points of the desert to collapse as well, forming large craters.

The largest crater was 70 meters wide and 20 meters deep, and large amounts of methane escaped from it, a gas that takes the place of oxygen, making breathing difficult. Animals in the area began to die, and scientists decided it was better to set the crater on fire so that the methane was quickly consumed. The problem was that they did not know the measure of natural gas they were facing and the fire never went out.

Hell’s gate still lit
The gas flaring procedure to get rid of it is widely used in oil fields, but only if the amount is known. As the disproportionate amount contained in the Turkmen desert is unknown, the fire has spread for more than 40 years, creating this curious phenomenon.

In recent years, the country’s authorities have developed plans to cover the crater, because they fear for the amount of natural gas that the desert could develop in the future, which is very necessary for subsistence. However, none have yet been applied and the crater is still open.

At present the animals are still attracted to the place, something not too positive for certain species. In addition, it is one of the areas that attracts more tourists who visit the place every year, because it is not known when or how the fire could be extinguished, if it ever happens.