CentralNotice From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation , search Door to Hell, Gates to Hell, Crater of Fire Panorama of the gas site burning, 2011 Location of the Door to Hell fire in Turkmenistan Country Turkmenistan Region Derweze , Ahal Province Offshore/onshore onshore Coordinates 40°15′9.4″N 58°26′21.8″E  /  40.252611°N 58.439389°E  / 40.252611; 58.439389 Coordinates : 40°15′9.4″N 58°26′21.8″E  /  40.252611°N 58.439389°E  / 40.252611; 58.439389 Field history Discovery 1971 Abandonment 1971 The Door to Hell (also known as the Gates to Hell, the Crater of Fire, Darvaza Crater) is a natural gas field in Derweze , Turkmenistan , that collapsed into an underground cavern in 1971, becoming a natural gas crater. Geologists set it on fire to prevent the spread of deadly methane gas, and it has been ...