Closing the gate to hell
It’s likely the Darvaza gas crater has been burning for more than half a century. In the Turkmenistan desert, a large oil field was discovered in 1971. While engineers were investigating the extent of the reserve, the ground collapsed, creating a 70m across, 20m deep crater. Expecting dangerous gases to be released, the workers decided the best thing to do would be to quickly burn them off. Fifty years later, the fire is still burning. Known as the Door or Gates of Hell – or Shining of the Karakum in Turkmenistan – the site has become one of the country’s top tourist attractions. But this month President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov announced plans to extinguish the flames to protect the environment and gas reserves in the area. He said the crater “negatively affects both…