The mysterious origin of the crater that never stops burning

Definitely the world keeps surprising us more and more and these places that our planet has are really interesting, but at the same time incredible. As I said before, every place has a story, so the Darvaza Crater is not far behind and that is why today we will talk about this curious site.

Did you know that in the north of the former Soviet republic of Turkmenistan there is a crater literally filled with fire? Well, the answer is yes. It is so called because it is 69 meters wide and 30 meters deep, not to mention that inside it emanates natural gas that has been burning for decades.

However, this incredible place has a mysterious history. This story mentions that in 1971, several Soviet geologists were looking for oil and were drilling in the Karakum desert for that purpose. During that search they came across a pocket of natural gas, which caused the earth to collapse, forming three large sinkholes. However, they needed to prevent the methane from being released into the atmosphere and according to theories these geologists set fire to one of those sinkholes, as they believed it would burn in weeks, but it is not 100% confirmed, as there is still no document to support this version.

It is very important to mention that this caught the attention of many people, so an investigation was made in 2013 in this area, finding the news from citizens who mentioned that they have no idea how it has originated. This news is a bit frustrating and striking, since an explorer mentioned that even visiting the country it is not possible to find something related to the crater. Shocking, don't you think?

But, according to Turkmen geologists, the crater was actually formed in the 1960s and started burning in 1980. That said, there is a lot of controversy over whether it was ignited accidentally, by lightning or something similar. Well, the appearance of such a crater in a remote desert had minimal impact, so it is believed that since the Soviet Union, had no gas supply problems, producing some 700 billion cubic meters per year, it is very likely that the easiest and most practical solution was to burn it. But, of course, it should be noted that this is only a theory.

However, Turkmenistan once considered extinguishing the fire, but did not do so because the authorities decided it was a good way to promote tourism, which is an achievement today, as the methane spewing fire pit is one of the most popular tourist attractions. Many people protected by costumes go into the bottom surrounded by a coliseum of fire, being one of the best experiences.

Personally, it is very interesting and mysterious at the same time, because I must admit that I would like to know its history, the real one and I must also emphasize that I have been drawn theories, since the attention that attracted me this place is fascinating to the point of being born in me to know this great place. Would you visit it?

I hope you liked this article and that you found it useful.

Tell me, what do you think is its true history and what do you think about it?