Diameter70 m
854 millionthsPanama Canals
667Bagel diameters
11.7Ice cream truck lengths
Photo from Wikimedia Commons
Door to Hell (Darvaza Gas Crater)
A burning gas crater in the Turkmen desert that has blazed since 1971/Natural Wonders
The Darvaza gas crater, colloquially known as the 'Door to Hell,' is a natural gas field in the Karakum Desert of Turkmenistan that collapsed into a cavern in 1971. Soviet geologists reportedly set it on fire expecting it to burn out in a few weeks, but the crater has been burning continuously ever since. The flaming pit measures roughly 70 meters in diameter and 30 meters deep. Temperatures at the bottom can exceed 1,000 degrees Celsius. Despite its harsh environment, in 2014 explorer George Kourounis descended to the bottom and discovered bacteria thriving in the extreme heat.
Measurements
Depth30 m
44.8Flute lengths
16.9Samsung refrigerators
63.8 millionBlue light wavelengths
Crater area3,848 m^2
59,200Toilet seats
2,749Office desks
2.44Hockey rinks
Bottom temperature1,273 K
1.82Pizza ovens
3.86Sahara Desert peaks
3.41Running car engines
Burning duration1.7 billion s
13.8US presidencies
4.7 thousandthsIce ages
20,139Mayfly lifespans
Burning since 1971
Flame height (visible)15 m
625 quadrillionthsVoyager 1 distances
75Cucumber lengths