The Darvaza gas crater, also known as the Door to Hell, is a natural gas field in Turkmenistan that collapsed into a cavern and has been burning since the 1980s. The exact cause of its formation is uncertain, with some theories suggesting it was created in the 1960s and set on fire in the 1980s to prevent the spread of poisonous gases. Others believe Soviet engineers accidentally caused the collapse while drilling for oil in 1971 and then set it on fire. The crater, located near the village of Darvaza in the Karakum Desert, is about 60-70 meters in diameter and around 30 meters deep. Turkmenistan’s President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow has expressed intentions to extinguish the crater due to its harmful effects on health, the environment, and the natural gas industry. Despite these plans, the crater remains open and burning. It has become a minor tourist attraction, with visitors drawn to its fiery spectacle. In 2013, explorer George Kourounis became the first person to descend to the bottom of the crater, collecting soil samples for scientific research.
