Darvaza – gas crater, Turkmenistan
Darvaza is one of the most surprising places of Turkmenistan. The huge crater in the middle of desert in diameter of 60 meters and depth of 20 meters involves thousands of tourists for many years. The show that appears before the eyes of any person causes this association.
Tongues of flame thrown up from sands Karakum desert for more than 40 years, some of them reaches 10-15 meters in height.
In 1971 near the Darvaza village, the Soviet geologists have found out a large congestion of natural gas under desert sand. While drilling of a prospecting chink, geologists stumbled upon a cavern – emptiness under desert sand. All the sand around has failed in it, dragged away behind itself a derrick, all equipment and cars. Fortunately, nobody from stuff did not suffered. Through emptiness, natural gas began to differentiate, capable to do harm to the person and animals around. Scientists have made a decision to set it on fire, being assured that the fire will cease in some days.
So, 45 years have passed, and the flame has not died away.
Near Darwaza there are two more craters. They do not burn, at the bottom of one of them a bubbling liquid dirt of light grey color, and on a bottom of the second crater decorates a liquid of turquoise color.
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