Geographic

Ten years ago, National Geographic Explorer George Korounis became the first person in history to enter the fiery Gates of Hell. This is a gigantic hole 70 meters in diameter and 30 meters deep in the Karakum Desert in north-central Turkmenistan. It is officially named Darbaza Crater, after a nearby village, but its common name is more fitting. Methane gas is spewing out of this hole, and the fire that started decades ago continues to burn to this day.

After two years of planning, Korounis entered the crater by hanging from a rope stretched above it. In just 17 minutes, they returned with gas measurements and soil samples taken. “Those 17 minutes are deeply etched in my mind,” he recalls. “The crater was much scarier, hotter and bigger than I imagined.”

His adventures made the existence of the Darbaza Crater known to the whole world, images of its magnificent flames spread along with dubious stories about the crater’s origins, and a visit to this secretive former Soviet Union country. It attracts tourists.

But methane is a greenhouse gas, and Turkmenistan, which has vast reserves of oil and natural gas, has countless aging industrial facilities leaking methane into the atmosphere. In the summer of 2023, the U.S. and Turkmenistan governments discussed how to work together to permanently shut down these methane sources, including Darbaza Crater.

However, extinguishing the flames at the gates of hell is no easy task. To explore that possibility, we must first answer three important questions. How was Darbaza Crater formed? What can I do to put out that fire? Should the gates of hell be closed in the first place?

The burning Darbaza crater. In 2013, National Geographic Explorer George Korounis entered the crater for 17 minutes to collect scientific samples. (PHOTOGRAPH BY GILES CLARKE, GETTY IMAGES)

[画像のクリックで拡大表示]

Souvenirs from the Soviet era

Darbaza Crater may look hellish, but it’s not particularly mysterious from a scientific perspective. The crater, also known as the “Light of Karakum” in Turkmen, lies above the Amu Darya Basin, which has vast reserves of oil and natural gas. The main component of natural gas is methane, and a lot of methane leaks from the earth’s crust. Once this gas is ignited, it will continue to burn until it runs out of fuel, heat, or oxygen.

Typically, methane gas in the area is used by the oil industry or leaks into the ground or into the water. Leaks often go unnoticed. It’s strange that the Darbaza crater has been burning for so many decades, but it almost certainly began with an industrial accident during the Cold War.

There are multiple theories about the origin of Darbaza Crater, and although it is unclear which is the most likely, there are several theories that follow a similar scenario. Sometime between the 1960s and 1980s, Soviet engineers were drilling in this area (perhaps testing for oil) when an underground collapse occurred, leaving a huge hole on the surface and releasing methane gas. It is said that it erupted.

The engineers probably lit the fire hoping the methane gas would quickly burn out. Or maybe someone threw a cigarette in and it just happened to catch fire. In any case, methane gas continues to burn endlessly, emitting many types of harmful substances. However, the nearby village was abandoned in 2004, so no local residents will be affected.

Hell’s Gate is an important source of tourism revenue for Turkmenistan, which has largely closed its borders to foreigners. “It’s marketing. Hell’s Gate is the number one tourist attraction in Turkmenistan,” says Kolounis.

Next page:[Video]Entering the “gates of hell” for the first time in history