Fires typically consume fuel over hours, days, or even weeks. However, certain underground fossil fuel deposits can sustain a blaze for decades.
The gas crater in Darvaza, famously known as the “Gate of Hell,” has been burning for a remarkable 40 years within a 60-meter-wide (196 feet) pit located in Turkmenistan’s Karakham Desert.
The crater’s origin is a topic of debate. Some claim it resulted from an unauthorized Soviet gas drilling operation in the 1970s that inadvertently trapped an underground pocket of natural gas; others believe it was formed naturally in the 1960s.
Regardless of its origins, geologists detected methane leaking from the crater and attempted to ignite the gas to prevent environmental disasters. They expected it to extinguish within weeks, yet it has continued to burn for decades.
The Darvaza gas Crater is a 60m (196 feet) pit in the Karakham Desert in Turkmenistan. – Photo Credit: Getty Images
This crater sits atop extensive oil and gas fields that traverse Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, likely linked to a vast underground reservoir of methane, which fuels the fire almost indefinitely.
In 2013, Canadian explorer George Crunis embarked on an expedition to study the crater. Dressed in a heat-resistant suit, he descended to the crater’s depths to collect soil samples and found simple organisms capable of surviving in the extreme conditions at the bottom.
While the Gate of Hell may be the most famous fire, it is not the oldest. Underground coal seams can sustain fires for centuries.
One coal fire beneath Mount Wingen in Australia has been ablaze for over 5,000 years. Such fires might continue indefinitely until the vast underground fuel supply is depleted.
This article addresses the question posed by Dennis McCann of Derby: “What are the Gates of Hell, and why do they keep burning?”
Please email us your questions at Question@sciencefocus.com or message us onFacebook,Twitter, or Instagram (remember to include your name and location).
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Interactive true crime-style podcasts that armchair detectives can engage with are nothing new (see below solve), but modern audio games are highly appealing.
In cold tape, Andrew Fairfield, a behavioral scientist, was murdered on an Antarctic base during the long winter (a setting familiar to fans of recent True Detective TV seasons). There are 16 other people left at the base, all of whom are suspects.
Listeners are invited to assist DCI Tessa McAllister by piecing together victims’ audio diaries, secret recordings, police interviews, and other compelling evidence. Moreover, those who solve the case will have the opportunity to be selected as Super Sleuth 2024 at Crime Con London 2024 and enter a competition where they can win £10,000 in prizes (literally all the time spent on real crime might pay off).
At the top of this week’s list is Alice Levine’s new show featuring a woman who purchases a cheap island off the coast of Nicaragua and invites a Channel 4 camera crew to film a new reality series with her there. However, multiple disasters ensue…
Holly Richardson television editor assistant
This week’s picks
Muhammad Ali, one of the subjects of Kate Griggs’ dyslexic thinking lessons. Photo: Photoreporters Inc/REX
the price of paradise Wide range of weekly episodes available The story of Jane Gaskin, who bought a private island off the coast of Nicaragua on the cheap, is fascinating. In 2002, the former Playboy Bunny became the unexpected star of Channel 4’s reality show No Going Back, but Alice Levine, in all her gory glory, brought the story to a new audience. This is the story of a family who leave behind a comfortable life in England, but soon find themselves embroiled in controversy, corruption, and kidnapping. Hannah Verdier
Deep Cover: The Nameless Man Weekly episodes widely available starting Monday “There’s a confession, but there’s no body.” Director Jake Halpern’s carefully researched fourth season follows the pair as they investigate rumors of a teenager who bragged about killing a black man in order to join a white supremacist group. depicts a federal agent. But who was the man? And can Halpern solve the murder the other way around? HV
dyslexia thinking lessons Wide range of weekly episodes available Grit, determination, heightened spatial awareness: all qualities that Muhammad Ali (pictured above) possessed, and which presenter Kate Griggs identified as a form of dyslexic thinking. In a fascinating podcast, she tells her wife Ronnie about the skills that have made him a champion. Other exciting guests include wildlife presenter Hamza He Yassin and author Riz He Pichon. HV
apple and tree Wide range of weekly episodes available Narrator Vogue Williams connects parents and children in this warm and intimate podcast. First up is Sam. He has a tender and understanding conversation with his intelligent father Rakku about growing up gay in the Indian community. It’s a beautiful conversation until he tells his father’s gay friends that he came out while watching The X Factor. HV
Cold Tape: Beyond Winter Wide range of weekly episodes available A cold case involving the murder of a behavioral scientist at a remote base in Antarctica in the dead of winter sets the stage for this innovative murder mystery game. You must try to solve murder cases through a cache of files such as audio diaries and police interviews. If you can crack the case, you could win a £10,000 reward. HV
There’s a podcast for that
Timecop’s Gloria Ruben and Jean-Claude Van Damme. Photo: Everett Collection Inc/Alamy
This week, graham virtue Our picks for the 5 best podcasts on bad movie, from the chaotic “How Did This Get Made?” Until TCM’s masterfully produced The Plot Thickens: The Devil’s Candy.
How was this made? One way to squeeze entertainment value out of a bad movie is to hear smart people making fun of it. For more than 300 episodes, hosts Paul Scheer, June Diane Raphael, and Jason Mantzoukas have used wrecking balls to make movies subpar. As actors in film and television, they bring inside information, unexpected empathy, and explosive anger to live shows that blare with infectious energy. The 50 Shades series has been given some punishment in recent series, but upcoming episodes will feature zany action movies like The Beekeeper and Shark Attack 3: Megalodon, which were featured on a recent UK tour. I am planning to work on it.
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