Description
Karakum Desert north of Darvaza / Derweze, Dashoguz Province, Turkmenistan: fire at the center of Darvaza gas crater, also known as the Door to Hell or Gates of Hell, is a burning sinkhole in a natural gas field, the result of a collapsed cavern during a drilling operation. It it has been burning continuously since it was set alight by Soviet geologists in 1971. Turkmenistan holds the world's 4th largest natural gas reserves.