The “Gates Of Hell” Appear To Be Dying After Decades Of Furiously Burning

The “Gates of Hell” have been furiously burning away in Turkmenistan for decades, but scientists now have reason to believe that it’s giving up the ghost. 

Officially known as the Darvaza gas crater, or the Shining of Karakum, this infamous site is a massive pit filled with fiercely burning flames, casting an orange glow across the barren landscape of the Karakum Desert.

A few unverified stories speak about its origins, but the most common explanation says the fire started in 1971 when Soviet scientists tapped into an underground pocket of gas. To prevent the release of toxic fumes, they ignited the gas, expecting it to burn off in a matter of days. 

Unfortunately, the ill-fated decision caused the ground to collapse, forming a crater 70.1 meters (230 feet) wide and 20.1 meters (66 feet) deep. Decades later, it’s still blazing, fueled by the natural emissions of methane seeping from the ground below.

Over the past few years, researchers from the scientific arm of Türkmengaz, the national gas company of Turkmenistan, have been studying the Darvaza gas crater to track its emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change.

At a recent conference, they revealed that their studies suggest the glow of the crater appears to be dying down.

“If in 2013 the glow from the Darvaza gas crater was visible for many kilometers, now its burning can only be seen in the immediate vicinity. These positive changes are confirmed by independent satellite data obtained from the company Capterio,” reports the state news agency of Turkmenistan.

“Their integrated multi-sensor data, tracking the combustion and emissions of methane from the Darvaza crater over many years, show a significant reduction in emissions. During the analyzed period, the intensity of unorganized burning of the crater decreased by more than 3 times,” the agency continued.

The future of the Darvaza gas crater is uncertain, but these findings suggest that its natural supply of natural gas might be petering out.

This will come as good news to the powers that be. In 2022, then-President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov expressed a serious interest in extinguishing the fire pit. Along with citing public health and environmental concerns, the leader suggested the creator was wastefully burning untapped methane, which could otherwise be harnessed for energy and profits.

"We are losing valuable natural resources for which we could get significant profits and use them for improving the well-being of our people," the former president reportedly told the country in 2022.