#Gatesofhell #Darvazagascrater #Turkmenistan #shiningofkarakum #Darvaza #sunset #Doortohell #gas #Karakum #Desert #Cavern
December 7, 2024 at 12:34 PM
Our @stephenmbland.bsky.social observes Turkmenistan’s infamous "Gate to Hell" Darvaza Gas Crater, dims after 50+ years, marking a historic win for the environment and resource management timesca.com/turkmenistan... #Turkmenistan #GateToHell #EnvironmentalWin #DarvazaGasCrater
Turkmenistan Contains 'Gate to Hell' Fire After Decades of Inferno - The Times Of Central Asia
The fiery spectacle of the Darvaza Gas Crater, feared and revered as the 'Gate to Hell,' has dimmed significantly after over fifty years of continuous
timesca.com
June 7, 2025 at 2:06 PM
Our @stephenmbland.bsky.social observes Turkmenistan’s infamous "Gate to Hell" Darvaza Gas Crater, dims after 50+ years, marking a historic win for the environment and resource management timesca.com/turkmenistan... #Turkmenistan #GateToHell #EnvironmentalWin #DarvazaGasCrater
This pit of fire has been burning for 55 years.
And there’s something ALIVE at the bottom of it!
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And there’s something ALIVE at the bottom of it!
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June 15, 2026 at 5:17 AM
Soil thermophiles are a broad class of organisms that, as their name suggests, love heat. They have a number of specialized adaptations to survive in heat, from supercoiled DNA to specialized amino acid substitutions in the proteins that make them up, all to resist melting or burning.
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June 15, 2026 at 5:24 AM
But to everyone’s surprise (except the biologists’, apparently), there was something quite alive in the soil! The researchers found soil thermophiles in samples from the bottom of the pit, distinct from the microorganisms present at the edge of the pit.
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June 15, 2026 at 5:23 AM
The crater literally has areas of molten rock and sand in it. Kourounis, after climbing into the pit in a full-body aluminized suit, described the interior of the pit as “a coliseum of fire”. You can see some pictures from the expedition at www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/ar...
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Q&A: The First-Ever Expedition to Turkmenistan's "Door to Hell"
Go along with explorer George Kourounis as he becomes the first person known to venture into Turkmenistan's fiery, gas-fueled Darvaza Crater.
www.nationalgeographic.com
June 15, 2026 at 5:20 AM
Turkmenistan is home to the Darvaza gas crater (affectionately referred to as the “Door to Hell”), whose fire started in 1971 following the collapse of a natural gas cavern. In 2013 a team of biologists sent professional explorer @georgekourounis.bsky.social into the pit to collect soil samples
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June 15, 2026 at 5:18 AM