Scribol.com has a photo spread documenting a descent into into the crater known as the Door to Hell. Supposedly this was the first time any person has attempted to reach the bottom of the crater. The crater has a diameter of 70 metres (230 ft) and a depth of about 20 metres (66 ft). Natural gas vents through the sides and bottom of the crater continuously, creating a fire pit with unstable sides.
[Wikipedia] says the crater, located in Ahal Province, Turkmenistan, was created by Russian oil and gas drillers when they accidentally drilled into an underground void, which then collapsed, and continued to vent gas. It was allegedly intentionally set on fire to burn off the gas.**
That was in 1971. The crater has been burning ever since.
**(Locals insist the crater was there before the Soviets arrived, and the only thing the drillers added was the fire).
The extensive photos on the Scribol site document an attempt to reach the bottom of the crater to sample for extremophiles.. That effort was part of a 2013 National Geographic television special. A two minute video clip of this program is available which gives a good sense of the size of the crater.
[Ed. addition] Notable quotation from the scribol story:
"Now I had two alarms going off and I was starting to overheat," the adventurer continues. "The crew started to haul me up on the ropes, and all I could do was just try to relax and slow my breathing down. But trying to relax while dangling over fire with a low-air alarm going off is not a simple task."
(Score: 2) by zocalo on Sunday April 19 2015, @11:06AM
UNIX? They're not even circumcised! Savages!
(Score: 2) by martyb on Sunday April 19 2015, @01:09PM
Thanks for the comment!
It seems this exploration happened awhile ago, so I was leery about posting the story. Given we recently ran a story about a scientist risking his life to save a seed bank, this seemed to follow in a similar vein. That, and the pictures were quite compelling, too. So, I decided to run with it to see what kind of response it may garner. I *never* expected that someone would soon be participating in a project with George! I'm glad I decided to run it.
So, if it's not too much to ask, could you take notes on your storm chasing trip and submit a story on it? That would be awesome!
Wit is intellect, dancing.
(Score: 5, Funny) by davester666 on Sunday April 19 2015, @06:14PM
As your car is being lifted off the ground by the F5, you can turn to your partner and say "At least we're not on fire."
(Score: 3, Informative) by maxwell demon on Sunday April 19 2015, @02:33PM
"Wiki says" — no, Wikipedia says. A wiki is a certain type of web software. Wikipedia is an online encyclopaedia using that software.
The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by M. Baranczak on Sunday April 19 2015, @04:03PM
I presume that the Soviet government (and later the Turkmenistan government) just couldn't be bothered to put the fire out and plug the hole. But if they did, how would they go about it? Pouring concrete into the hole seems like the obvious solution, but the heat would cause the water to evaporate before the concrete cures. Has this sort of thing ever been done before?
(Score: 3, Funny) by shortscreen on Sunday April 19 2015, @06:03PM
MacGuyver once had to plug up a flaming hole in the ground. As I recall, it involved dynamite and an old refrigerator.
(Score: 2) by Yog-Yogguth on Monday April 20 2015, @02:53PM
If one puts it out I guess one would be back to having poisonous gas seeping out (but that might not be a problem any more) which could easily reignite in the same place or somewhere else. Lots of things one could try if one had the money and a willingness to accept (maybe multiple) failure(s) and/or maybe end up creating more burning craters.
Wikipedia also has good articles about coal seam fires [wikipedia.org] and peat fires [wikipedia.org] which are hard or “impossible” to put out. There's a lot of those all across the world. There's also oil well fires [wikipedia.org] with the most famous examples being the 6 or 7 hundred wells set aflame [wikipedia.org] in Kuwait by Saddam in 1991 (wow that's 24 years ago now). Later those were put out by US companies.
Bite harder Ouroboros, bite! tails.boum.org/ linux USB CD secure desktop IRC *crypt tor (not endorsements (XKeyScore))
(Score: 3, Insightful) by ah.clem on Sunday April 19 2015, @04:40PM
I'm generally a pretty positive commentator and contributor on this site, but I just don't know about this article. I don't know of this fellow and I don't watch TV so I don't know what "Angry Planet" is (nor do I really care to Youtube it, I can pretty much guess what it must be), but this whole thing strikes me as a really big "Look at me!" deal, not unlike tightrope walking over Niagara Falls was the middle of the last century. At the end of the article they claim it's for the science, not the thrills, but, as an educated layman, I can think of quite a few ways just off the top of my head to have gathered samples from the bottom of the open pit without all this drama. I don't mind someone doing stunts for the sake of stunts, it can be entertaining; I just have a problem attempting to conflate a stunt with actual scientific research. Just my opinion.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 19 2015, @09:53PM
You might well be right. However if we ignore that, it's a very cool location and probably not known by all. I knew of the place but still liked the photos.
I'd say this is clearly a net positive.
(Score: 2) by frojack on Sunday April 19 2015, @10:29PM
I can think of quite a few ways just off the top of my head to have gathered samples from the bottom of the open pit without all this drama.
Name two.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by ah.clem on Sunday April 19 2015, @10:44PM
First one would be to pull a cable over the opening so it bisects the point where you want to collect the sample, then run a pulley with 2 blocks attached, one at each end, with another cable with a self closing scoop on one end threaded back through the block (you could even use a snatch block to make the setup easier - similar to the way an adjustable boom vang works, but upside down).
Second would be to construct a cantilevered pole rig like is used on deep water drilling platforms and run the scoop off of it.
Third (as long as I'm thinking about it) is probably the easiest - helicopter over the site, drop the scoop, retract and fly away.
Fourth - a construction crane.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 20 2015, @06:58AM
Or, drones and drones. Done. Extremophiles neutralized, or at least given a headache by the overwhelming power of American arms to strike anywhere, even at the Gates of Hell!!! (Not to be confused with Hellgate, which is in Missoula, if I am not mistaken. No fire. Just Blackfeet. Which is worse than fire. Trust me on this. )