The Door to Hell
March 26, 2008 1:00 PM   Subscribe

 
Why do man made disasters have to be so cool?
posted by Faux Real at 1:04 PM on March 26, 2008


There's nothing I can say that hasn't already been said by this youtuber:

"Looks like inside of my ex's underwear XD"
posted by ORthey at 1:07 PM on March 26, 2008


Holy shit.
posted by nax at 1:07 PM on March 26, 2008


Is this really a "disaster", though? I mean, yeah, it's burning a bit of natural gas, but it looks cool, and doesn't harm anyone, really. Well, possibly the environment, a bit.
posted by Joakim Ziegler at 1:09 PM on March 26, 2008


Holy hell. That's amazing.
posted by papercake at 1:14 PM on March 26, 2008


Seems like an ongoing waste of useful natural resources, but I guess Turkmenistan needs the tourists.
posted by dgaicun at 1:24 PM on March 26, 2008


The Gates of Hell, dude.
posted by BobFrapples at 1:28 PM on March 26, 2008


dgaicun writes "Seems like an ongoing waste of useful natural resources, but I guess Turkmenistan needs the tourists."

Ever think about how many gallons of gasoline are wasted each day by automobiles idling at stop lights? This is a drop in the bucket.
posted by mullingitover at 1:31 PM on March 26, 2008 [1 favorite]


Heh - I've been. Its really one of weirdest things ever. I'm pretty sure the Turkmen aren't letting it burn for the tourists given they get about 1500 tourists a year in the entire country. The Crater is about a day's drive from Ashgabat, and is a long walk off the road towards Kanye-Urgench. I remember lots of spiders
posted by JPD at 1:32 PM on March 26, 2008 [5 favorites]


That's pretty bad ass. It reminded me vaguely of Centralia, Pennsylvania which is the place that has had an underground coal fire for almost 50 years.

There is something truly infernal about the idea of a perpetual fire burning right beneath your feet.
posted by quin at 1:35 PM on March 26, 2008 [2 favorites]


I have an idea. First, we build the world's biggest Jiffy-Pop...
posted by George_Spiggott at 1:37 PM on March 26, 2008 [4 favorites]


I remember lots of spiders

Anyone else bothered by both this sentence and the way it abruptly ends?
posted by maxwelton at 1:54 PM on March 26, 2008 [9 favorites]


The Crater is about a day's drive from Ashgabat, and is a long walk off the road towards Kanye-Urgench. I remember lots of spiders
posted by JPD at 4:32 PM on March 26


Please elaborate on "lots of spiders". Are they attracted to the hole? This scares me. You know all those species of crab that live near hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor? I wonder if there's some latent evolutionary pull in arachnids to go near hellaciously hot and toxic things like this. I wonder if over time a species of spider will evolve near this crater, just like those crabs.
posted by Pastabagel at 2:05 PM on March 26, 2008


I wonder if over time a species of spider will evolve near this crater, just like those crabs.

You bastard! Now I have a new thing to worry about! Gaaaahhhhh......
posted by aramaic at 2:25 PM on March 26, 2008


I really think they are just attracted to the light.
posted by JPD at 2:32 PM on March 26, 2008


That's been burning since 1986? Holy shit.

Still, that is goddamned cool-looking.
posted by ignignokt at 2:55 PM on March 26, 2008 [1 favorite]


A Silk Road Tag? Really?

Fire.
posted by mr_book at 3:57 PM on March 26, 2008


Wow.
posted by Artw at 4:23 PM on March 26, 2008


I wonder if over time a species of spider will evolve near this crater, just like those crabs.

That's all it takes to convince me. So, let's stop the time wasting jibber jabber and BEGIN NUKING THE AREA IMMEDIATELY.
posted by tkchrist at 4:33 PM on March 26, 2008


BEGIN NUKING THE AREA IMMEDIATELY.

And then, over time, a species of spider will evolve near the fallout, and this species will be much, much scarier.

You really can't win. It's like antibiotics.
posted by rokusan at 5:08 PM on March 26, 2008 [1 favorite]


Nuking them would just make them stronger, like Godzilla.
posted by homunculus at 5:14 PM on March 26, 2008


Seems like an ongoing waste of useful natural resources,

It's small compared to actual waste.

The World Bank estimates that over 100 billion cubic metres of natural gas are flared or vented annually, an amount worth approximately 30.6 billion dollars, equivalent to the combined annual gas consumption of Germany and France, twice the annual gas consumption of Africa, three quarters of Russian gas exports, or enough to supply the entire world with gas for 20 days. This flaring is highly concentrated: 10 countries account for 75% of emissions, and twenty for 90%.[5] The largest flaring operations occur in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. The leading contributors to gas flaring are (in declining order): Nigeria, Russia, Iran, Algeria, Mexico, Venezuela, Indonesia, and the United States.[6] In spite of a ruling by the Federal High Court of Nigeria (that forbade flaring) in 2005, 43% of the of the gas retrieval was still being flared in 2006. It will be prohibited by law as of 2008.
posted by Brian B. at 5:16 PM on March 26, 2008 [2 favorites]


First, we build the world's biggest Jiffy-Pop...

Oh the pancakes you could cook over that sucker!

Seriously though, what's up with flaring? Does it make oil cheaper or easier to extract? I'm confused why, given our impending hydrocarbon crunch, natural gas isn't worth too much to flare.
posted by owhydididoit at 5:46 PM on March 26, 2008


Oh.
posted by owhydididoit at 5:48 PM on March 26, 2008


Haven't you notice how even campfires attract spiders? For hundred meter radius, all spiders gather round and watch silently, planning spidery plans, creeping closer. When the fire goes out, they tend to get confused and aggressive and seek the next warm body. Don't let the fire go out.
posted by Free word order! at 5:50 PM on March 26, 2008 [5 favorites]


I'm confused why, given our impending hydrocarbon crunch, natural gas isn't worth too much to flare.

One reason they burn it off is because it helps keep the prices up by reducing the supply on hand.
posted by Brian B. at 6:00 PM on March 26, 2008


WICKED stills. Damn.///
Whatasight.

She is like an eye-blue swimming pool ...[Gun Club She's Like Heroin to Me — lyrics. Music]
I'd be tempted [Lordy.//] to jump into that pool of water – get a rope to haul me out though.

WCityMike, stroke of genius inserting that. Someone tell Chick that jezus said everyone goes to heaven, no one is spared from it... if they REPENT.///

A Virtual Tour of Hell, Dante's Inferno tour...
posted by alicesshoe at 7:22 PM on March 26, 2008


There is place like this (but on a much smaller scale) in Turkey called the Chimera. Gas leaks out of a hillside and supposedly self ignites. I'm not sure if I buy that part, but it was pretty interesting in person. The flames used to be much larger in the past, and I'm sure must have been a mid blower thousands of years ago.
posted by bottlebrushtree at 9:36 PM on March 26, 2008


Haven't you notice how even campfires attract spiders? For hundred meter radius, all spiders gather round and watch silently, planning spidery plans, creeping closer. When the fire goes out, they tend to get confused and aggressive and seek the next warm body. Don't let the fire go out.

I hate you now.
posted by five fresh fish at 11:06 PM on March 26, 2008 [1 favorite]




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