The Darvaza gas crater, also known as the Gates of Hell, is a 230 foot wide fiery abyss located in the middle of a Turkmenian desert. In 1971, a team of Soviet scientists set up a drilling rig looking for natural gas reserves. Shortly after construction was completed, the rig collapsed into an underground cavern. Fearing that poisonous methane gas would contaminate the area, engineers decided to set the site on fire with calculations indicating that it would burn out over the course of a few weeks. Little did they know that the crater would be burning for over 40 years. Credit: Shinpei Shmura #Science #Geology