Infamous 'Gates of Hell' Crater, Blazing For Decades, Set to Be Extinguished

https://www.sciencealert.com ^ | 12 JANUARY 2022 | BRANDON SPECKTOR

[Red Badger]

The leader of Turkmenistan would like to finally close the "Gates of Hell" that have burned continuously in the nation's Karakum desert for five decades, according to recent televised remarks.

In a January 8 appearance on Turkmenistan's state TV channel, President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov urged officials to "find a solution to extinguish the fire", citing concerns for the health of people living near the flaming crater, as well as lost business opportunities, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.

[Jonty30]

I wish them luck. With technological advancements over 40 years, they may actually do it.

[Red Badger]

Seems to me they could smother the fire by covering the hole with a huge tarp ..........................

[cuban leaf]

I hope it’s not producing any CO2.

[Red Badger]

That’s ALL it’s producing!.....................

[COBOL2Java]

Move it to Washington DC where it belongs.

[ferret_airlift]

While it does produce plenty of gas and hot air, it’s still not up to the level of Washington

[Red Badger]

There’s enough hot air in DC.................

[bgill]

Bring on global cooling.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

CH4 + 2O2 → CO2 + 2H2O

LOTS of water, too. Another big greenhouse gas!

[hinckley buzzard]

230 feet wide would be quite a tarp.

[WKUHilltopper]

I thought this was an article about Bill Gates of Hell.

[PGR88]

I wonder how much the gas is worth they burn every day?

[AnglePark]

...geologists decided to set the crater on fire, estimating that the gas within would only burn for a few weeks.

Experts... hah! They predicted it'd burn for a few weeks, and five decades later it's still blazing. Textbook example of how much the "experts" know, even today.

[1217Chic]

I’d like to see lot’s of people tossed in there first....

[ryderann]

Tanker convoy of foam?

[Nateman]

They could use the same technique used to extinguish Saddam’s oil well fires: liquid nitrogen.

[Vigilanteman]

And you haven’t even begun to talk about the 65 meters depth.

[Jonty30]

It’s over 1 1/2 acres. I don’t know of any tarp that they could secure air tight that way. The only thing I can think of them doing is to laydown metal slats across the hole until they have it covered. That’s assuming the hole isn’t burning at a temperature that is high enough to melt steel.

[Fester Chugabrew]

Wow. Never heard of this. No way to harness the energy as is?