LARGEST FLAMING CRATER IN THE WORLD SHOWING SIGNS THAT IT IS BUSY BURNING OUT
The Darvaza gas crater is now beginning to die down, some 55 years after it was originally accidentally lit on fire. This crater, which is situated in the centre of Turkmenistan's Karakum desert, is sometimes referred to as the "Door to Hell" or the "Gates of Hell" due to the fires that have been burning inside it since 1971.
An intriguing bit of little-known history is the formation of this flaming crater. In the 1970s, Turkmenistan's Karakum desert region was a part of the Soviet Union. When Soviet engineers arrived, they dug for quality testing because they wanted to mine the desert for oil resources. But rather than oil, the engineers discovered something far more flammable: a sizable pocket of natural gas that collapsed because it couldn't bear the weight of the heavy equipment used on oil rigs.
The entire scouting camp collapsed with it, leaving behind a huge depression that resembled a bowl and was 230 feet wide and 100 feet deep. Even worse, the natural gas that had been trapped in that pocket started to flow out into the atmosphere at a startling rate, putting the surrounding residents and wildlife in jeopardy.
As a last resort, scientists tried to burn off the natural gas, expecting that it would take a few weeks to resolve. In actuality, the Darvaza crater has been blazing for decades, and the Gates of Hell fires only appear to be fading in 2025—nearly 55 years after they first started. As of June 5, 2025, Turkmengaz, the state-subsidised national gas firm, reports that the flames in the Darvaza crater had shown a discernible waning.
At the International Scientific and Practical Conference on Environmental Aspects of Innovative Technologies in Hydrocarbon Development (TESC 2025), scientists who keep an eye on the crater's fires presented findings showing the flames have shrunk to about a third of their former magnitude.
Additionally, scientists have noticed that, unlike in the past, when the flames could be seen kilometres away, the crater fires are now only visible up close to the hollow. Scientists and Turkmengaz authorities are optimistic that the burning crater may be nearing the end of its life cycle and that the quick fall is due to the natural gas supplies running depleted.
Turkmenistan's leaders and populace are pleased to hear the news. Discussions about the burning crater have been going on for a while, and many people believe that burning valuable natural gas continuously is both wasteful and hazardous. One of the most peculiar man-made occurrences in the world may be coming to an end when the Darvaza crater gradually goes out.