The Desert Crater That Won't Die

Turkmenistan hosts a massive crater nicknamed the Door to Hell that has been continuously ablaze for over fifty years. Scientists accidentally created this spectacle in 1971 while drilling for gas.

When the ground beneath the drilling rig collapsed into a hollow cavern, engineers feared toxic gas might escape and harm nearby villages. They lit the pit on fire, assuming it would burn out within a few weeks. Instead, the fuel supply proved so immense that the desert hole remains a glowing, fiery inferno decades later. It has since become a surreal landmark that lights up the night sky.