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As a kid, I’ll admit that I set the odd thing on fire, although the damage was usually undone in a matter of minutes.

When it comes to the Darvaza crater, which is also known as ‘the Gates of Hell’, the exact origin story is unclear, but for nearly 50 years it’s been burning it up in the Karakum Desert in Turkmenistan.

You should know about it because we’ve mentioned it before, and CNN even named visiting the crater as one of the most extreme adventures on Earth.

That same list featured great white shark diving in Gansbaai, which is certainly more accessible, even if the likelihood of seeing the apex predator has dropped significantly.

Let’s stick to the Darvaza crater for now, and an entertaining short video via the BBC:

It has been said that it was intentionally set alight by Soviet authorities, hoping it would burn off in a matter of weeks. However, nearly 50 years later, the crater is still alight and its true origins are still shrouded in mystery.

Yes, you can get to the bottom of the crater, like that madman near the end:

[source:bbc]