The Door to Hell

The Hellish Desert Pit That Has Been On Fire For More Than 40 Years

There are places on Earth that are a little creepy, places that feel a little haunted and places that are downright hellish. The Darvaza gas crater, nicknamed by locals 'The Door to Hell,' definitely falls into the latter category. While drilling in 1971, Soviet geologists tapped into a cavern filled with natural gas.
The ground beneath the drilling rig collapsed, leaving a large hole with a diameter of 70 meters (230 ft). To avoid poisonous gas discharge, it was decided the best solution was to burn it off. Geologists had hoped the fire would use all the fuel in a matter of days, but the gas is still burning today.