Burning Gate – The Weird Side of the Internet – by Liam Sweeny.
Turkmenistan, the mysterious natioin of… I’m not really sure. Turkmenistanis, please fill in that blank. But I can add one thing to the forthcoming travel ads: gate of hell.
In the desert of Turkmenistan, there exists a pit, 200 feet wide, that burns, and burns and burns. With an oil exploration accident and a near inexhaustible supply of methane, you could fit sinners in it all day. It is a gate of hell. And while it is a tourist attraction, the government, and likely, the scientists are wanting to put it out. The Darvaza Crater.
So I’m torn with this being a super buzzkill, but not ignoring the fact that I’m rooting for a gate of hell. But either way, it’s not easy to put out that kind of fire. They’re looking at scientists from all over the world, excited to come and give it a shot. And this really trips the “band of misfit heroes go up against the hell gate” vibe.
Let’s look at the villain. The pit is two-hundred feet across. That’s the length of a 747. Or five school buses nose to tail. This really is a gate. In the desert, this ever-burning pit. They are concerned about the environmental impact, but experts say it doesn’t take up a huge portion of the country’s carbon footprint.
One thing we could do, if we wanted the gate of hell open, is to designate it an eternal flame, like JFK’s flame. This massive flame in honor of the time we annihilated the last alien race that tried to take us over.
I do know about the burning town of Centralia, Pennsylvania, and I have similar feelings about it, but as it is closer to friends and neighbors that have to deal with it, I’m quiet on it. Do what it is you have to do.