Turquoise lake crater, Darvaza, Turkmenistan

Darvaza is a Turkmenistan village of about 350 inhabitants, located in the middle of the Karakum desert, about 260 km north from Ashgabat. The Derweze area is rich in natural gas. Other than the burning crater, two other craters of similar origin are located there. These craters are not burning as the gas pressure is much weaker. At the bottom of one of these craters is light grey mud while the last crater contains a turquoise lake. This lake prevents further attempts at drilling. Not far from the burning crater are several dormant wells. 

Images of turquoise lake, Darvaza, Turkmenistan

 

The Door to Hell, Derweze, Turkmenistan

The Door to Hell is a natural gas field in Derweze, Ahal Province, Turkmenistan. The site was identified by Soviet engineers in 1971. The engineers set up a drilling rig and camp nearby, and started drilling operations to assess the quantity of gas reserve available at the site. They found gas resources and started to store the gas but ground beneath the drilling rig and camp collapsed into a wide crater and large quantities of methane gas were released. Keeping in view the environmental problem and posing a potential danger to the people of the nearby villages they decided to burn it off. At that time, expectations were that the gas would burn out within a few weeks, but has continued to burn more than four decades after it was set on fire. The gas reserve found here is one of the largest in the world. The government of Turkmenistan plans to increase its production of natural gas, intending to increase its export of gas to Pakistan, China, India, Iran, Russia, and Western Europe from its present level to 75 million cubic metres in the next 20 years.

Images of the Door to Hell, Derweze, Turkmenistan

Taklamakan Desert, China

The Taklamakan Desert, is a desert in southwest Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, northwest China. The Desert has an area of 337,000 km2 and includes the Tarim Basin, which is 1,000 kilometres long and 400 kilometres wide. It is bounded by the Kunlun Mountains to the south, the Pamir Mountains and Tian Shan (ancient Mount Imeon) to the west and north, and the Gobi Desert to the east. Because it lies in the rain shadow of the Himalayas,Taklamakan is a paradigmatic cold desert climate.

Images of Taklamakan Desert, China

Mysterious lake (Lac de Gafsa), Tunisia

A mysterious lake that appeared suddenly in the Tunisian desert has created an impromptu “beach” in the drought-ridden country. The lake appeared in the desert like a mirage; one minute there was nothing but scorching sand, the next a large expanse of turquoise water. No explanation has been given so far for the sudden appearance of “Gafsa Beach”, which was discovered by shepherds three weeks ago. Authorities have warned that the water, which started off a crystalline blue and has since turned a murky green with algae, could be carcinogenic but Tunisians have not been able to resist cooling off in the 40C heat.

Image of mysterious lake (Lac de Gafsa) Tunisia

 Image of mysterious lake (Lac de Gafsa) Tunisia

 Photo of mysterious lake (Lac de Gafsa) Tunisia