A fiery industrial accident in Turkmenistan's Karakum Desert, a pit 70 meters (230 feet) wide and 30 meters (98 feet) deep has been burning for over five decades.%%CITE_1%%%%CITE_2%%%%CITE_3%% This is the Darvaza gas crater, known as the "Door to Hell."%%CITE_2%%%%CITE_3%% Its origin is a persistent industrial accident. While records are sparse, the most accepted story is that in 1971, a Soviet drilling rig punctured a massive underground natural gas cavern.%%CITE_1%%%%CITE_2%%%%CITE_4%%%%CITE_5%% The ground collapsed, swallowing the rig and creating the crater. To prevent the spread of poisonous methane gas, geologists reportedly set it on fire, expecting it to burn out within weeks.%%CITE_2%%%%CITE_3%%%%CITE_5%% The gas reserves were far vaster than anticipated, and the fire has never stopped.%%CITE_3%%
The crater's official name is the "Shining of Karakum," but its fiery glow, visible from miles away, earned its more dramatic nickname. The sound from within is like a jet engine, as high-pressure gas fuels thousands of individual flames. While ambient temperatures inside can exceed 1,000°C (1,830°F), this extreme environment became a target for a major scientific question: could life exist here?
The Extremophile Microbiome Project
In November 2013, explorer George Kourounis became the first person to descend to the bottom of the crater. The expedition, sponsored by National Geographic, was part of the Extreme Microbiome Project. Kourounis rappelled into the inferno wearing a heat-reflective suit and a self-contained breathing apparatus. He had only 17 minutes on the crater floor to collect soil samples.