Drone Footage Shows ‘Door To Hell’, A Crater Burning For 40 Years

Darvaza, or ‘Door to Hell’, is a natural gas crater in Derweze, Ahal, Turkmenistan.

In the first exploration carried out in 1971, Soviet scientists mistook it as an oil field site. While they were drilling, the driller hit a natural gas pocket. This caused the drilling rig to collapse, creating a wide crater with a diameter of 70 meters and a depth of 30 meters.

Afraid that the dangerous gases from the crater would be leaked into the atmosphere, the scientists discussed and decided to burn it, hoping it would burn off in a few weeks. But clearly, that did not happen, as the crater has been burning until today.

A giant crater burning for 40 years in the middle of the desert has created a mysterious but magnificent scene. And it was later nicknamed ‘Door to Hell.”

Alessandro Belgiojoso, an Italian photographer has used a drone to capture the crater from above.

In 2003, explorer George Kourounis has risked his life entering ‘Door to Hell’ where the temperature can reach as high as 1000 Celsius degree. He hoped to find more evidence about life as this exploration can provide valuable knowledge for biology and geology field.