I am an astrobiologist, sci-fi geek, and professor of everything groovy. I write about science, culture, math, history, space, and science fiction. Perhaps like you, I'm seeking a greater understanding of the nature of life and asking myself why all of this really matters. Come with me, and we'll ask some questions together.
Wednesday, April 13, 2016
The Door to Hell
In Turkmenistan lies an open crater where a methane gas fire has been burning for over four decades. This burning pit has come to be known as The Door to Hell!
The crater itself first formed in 1971. Soviet geologists and engineers exploring for oil in the region had set up a camp only to discover that the ground below contained large amounts of natural gas and their drilling gave the gas a way to escape, causing the ground to subside and form this sinkhole crater. Fearing that the release of methane from this site could be a problem, the Soviet scientists decided to set it on fire. They had initially hypothesized that the fire would burn out in a matter of weeks, but the fire continues to burn strong, 45 years later.
George Kourounis, an adventurer and storm chaser, has become the first person to set foot in the bottom of the pit (where he also took samples to look for extremophile organisms). I'm definitely jealous that he had the chance to step down into that fiery pit:
I think The Door to Hell is definitely taking a spot on my current Bucket List of "cool shit to see before I die".
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