Overview

• Flames in the Darvaza crater are now three times smaller and visible only at the pit’s edge, according to Turkmengaz officials.
• Since President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov’s 2022 initiative, new wells have been drilled around the sinkhole to siphon excess methane into pipelines for storage and energy use.
• The crater formed in 1971 when Soviet engineers ignited a leaking gas pocket to prevent toxic emissions, creating a 230-foot-wide, 98-foot-deep pit.
• Diverting methane from the crater is expected to curb a major source of greenhouse gas and help reduce Turkmenistan’s outsized emissions.
• Officially known as the Shining of Karakum, the site draws an estimated 6,000 foreign visitors each year to witness its fiery glow.