KellyChemmy : The Door to Hell: Science Report

The Door to Hell: Science Report

By Kelly Moran

The Door to Hell is a popular tourist location in Darvaze (meaning "gate) Ahal Province, Turkmenistan. The door to hell is a ginormous hole in ground in the Karakum desert and contains a natural gas fire which has been burning endlessly since it was lit by petrochemical (relating to the refining and processing of petroleum or natural gas) scientists in 1971. The fire never stops because it is fed by the natural gas deposits in the area. The distinct smell of sulfur fills up the area for much distance. In 1971 (over 40 years ago) soviet geologists (someone who studies the solid and liquid parts that make up the earth) were drilling at the site and found a cavern filled with natural gas. The soviets were pleased with this finding and began storing the natural gases they found and were looking for. Unfortunately the ground below the geologist's drilling rig collapsed (no lives lost) which left a hole of 70 meters. The geologists were afraid that the hole in the ground would release deadly poisonous gases (large quantities of methane gas were released) therefore the team decided to light the inside of the hole on fire to burn of the existing gases because burning is a chemical reaction and new substances are formed when elements are burned (therefore changing the deadly gases into non-deadly gases. The team had hope that the fire would burn out over a couple of days but the gas is still burning to this very day! The flames give off a gold glow that can be seen from many miles away in the town of Darvaze with a population of only 350 people! In April of 2010 the hole was asked to be closed down because of danger by president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow who had visited it. This has not yet happened. The site is 260 kilometers north of Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan. The Karkum desert lies east of the Caspian sea. The area has significant oil and natural gas deposits. The siting is commonly referred to as "The Door to Hell" by villagers because that indeed is what it looks like!