The Derweze area is rich in natural gas

Posted by on April 13, 2013 Leave a comment (6) Go to comments

Reshared post from +Chris Worth

The Derweze area is rich in natural gas. While drilling in 1971, Soviet geologists tapped into a cavern filled with natural gas.The ground beneath the drilling rig collapsed, leaving a large hole with a diameter of 70 metres (230 ft) at 40°15′10″N 58°26′22″E. To avoid poisonous gas discharge, it was decided the best solution was to burn it off. Geologists had hoped the fire would use all the fuel in a matter of days, but the gas is still burning today. Locals have dubbed the cavern "The Door to Hell".

Full resolution picture here - http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8a/Darvasa_gas_crater_panorama.jpg

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  1. Alexander Vollmer April 13, 2013 at 4:35 pm

    You can search and find it on this map: http://www.blue-marble.de/nightlights/2012, and compare it with towns and industrial areas.

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  2. Ralph Stoever April 13, 2013 at 7:19 pm

    Thanks for the links +Alexander Vollmer . I can't really make out the crater on the map but ended up wondering what all this light near Shubarshi, Kazakhstan might be…

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  3. Alexander Vollmer April 14, 2013 at 3:06 am

    +Ralph Stoever Just put the position Chris mentioned (40°15′10″N 58°26′22″E) in the search field, GMaps can handle that … in the night view its bright and in the map view it mentions the door to hell.

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  4. Jeff Cave April 14, 2013 at 5:43 am

    Why haven't any of the locals built a small electric power plan on the edge?

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  5. Jeff Cave April 14, 2013 at 5:43 am

    Why haven't any of the locals built a small electric power plan on the edge?

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