Giant hole in the Desert Which has Been on fire for more than 40 Years

This Giant Hole in the Desert is Called "Door to Hell"
Door to Hell is a natural gas field in Derweze,Ahal Province, Turkmenistan
Gas reserve found here is one of the largest in the world.

Amazing Part About Door to Hell

The site was identified by Soviet scientists in 1971. It was thought to be a substantial oil field site.The scientists set up a drilling rig and camp nearby, and started drilling operations to assess the quantity of gas reserve available at the site. 

As the Soviets were pleased with the success of finding the gas resources, they started storing the gas. The ground beneath the drilling rig and camp collapsed into a wide crater and disappeared. No lives were lost in the incident. However, large quantities of methane gas were released, creating an environmental problem and posing a potential danger to the people of the nearby villages.Fearing the release of further poisonous gases from the cavern, the scientists decided to burn it off.

They thought that it would be safer to burn it than to extract it from underground through expensive methods. Environmentally, gas firing is the next best solution when the circumstances are such that it cannot be extracted for use. 

At that time, expectations were that the gas would burn out within days, but it is still burning, more than four decades after it was set on fire.

Source : Wikipedia