The Cool Down on MSN
The 'Gates to Hell' are closing: Decades-old fire pit dims, puzzling scientists
The crater's origin remains uncertain, but local lore says Soviet geologists in the 1960s or 1970s accidentally opened it while drilling for oil.
Why it's incredible: The entire gas crater has been on fire for more than 50 years. The "Gates of Hell," also known as the Darvaza gas crater after a nearby village, is a methane- and fire-filled ...
AccuWeather on MSN
Turkmenistan's fiery 'Gates of Hell' crater is dimming
Turkmenistan's famous "Gates of Hell" crater is dimming, which is causing uncertainty about the future of this fiery ...
Satellite images from May 2020 showed a roaring pit; recent accounts describe a much weaker flame.
Turkmenistan said on Friday it will capture the gas fuelling its "Gateway to Hell", putting the man-made fire pit at risk of closure as the reclusive state seeks to reduce its greenhouse emissions.
Turkmenistan said on Friday it will capture the gas fuelling its "Gateway to Hell", putting the man-made fire pit at risk of closure as the reclusive state seeks to reduce its greenhouse emissions.
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