Deputy Director of the “All-Russian Research Institute of Ecology” of the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources Vadim Petrov named three possible methods for extinguishing the Darvaza gas crater in Turkmenistan, which has been burning continuously for more than half a century, RIA Novosti reports.

According to Petrov, the first method involves filling the crater with fire-resistant materials such as sand and clay to block oxygen. The second method involves creating a sealed, heat-resistant shell over the crater. The third method involves drilling additional wells to reduce gas pressure and redirect its flow.

At the same time, the expert notes that the implementation of any of the proposed methods will be technically complex and financially costly.

The Darvaza crater, also known as the “Karakum Glow”, was formed in 1971 during geological exploration when Soviet specialists accidentally discovered a gas cavity into which the upper layers of soil had collapsed. An attempt to burn off the gas resulted in the formation of a permanently burning crater 60 meters in diameter and about 20 meters deep.

The expert notes that it is difficult to predict the exact time needed for the crater to naturally die down due to the lack of data on gas reserves in the region. At the same time, given that Turkmenistan has the fourth largest natural gas reserves in the world, the crater may continue to burn for decades without human intervention.

Earlier, the head of the laboratory of the Scientific Research Institute (SRI) of Natural Gas of the State Concern “Turkmengaz”, Irina Luryeva, in an interview with TASS reported that the scientists of the SRI studied various options for solving the problem of the burning crater and came to the conclusion that the only one of them is to drill a well near the field, which will extract gas.