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The Royal Canadian Geographical Society's explorer-in-residence, George Kourounis, talks to Scott Simon about the possible closing of the "The Gates of Hell" natural gas field.
Scott Simon is the host.
Hell is not frozen over. But it might be over. A crater in Turkmenistan has been on fire for 50 years. The president of the country recently announced plans to put out a flaming attraction that is at least 100 feet deep.
The Gates of Hell is where George Kourounis has been. He's a photographer and explorer in residence for the Royal Canadian Geographical Society and joins us from Toronto.
Thank you for being with us, Mr. Kourounis.
Thank you so much, George.
What are the Gates of Hell like?
It is like being on another planet. Imagine a volcano in the desert, but instead of lava, it is thousands of fires of burning methane gas that have been lit for five decades. I was leading an expedition to go there and study the crater, measure it, and take soil samples from the bottom to see if there is any type of life down there. That could give us clues as to where we might want to look for alien life. It was extreme, to say the least.
What did you discover about the origins of life on other planets?
Well... Kosuuris: Well...
In the Gates of Hell?
Several types ofbacteria were found in this hot, methane-rich environment. I measured the ground temperature at 400 Celsius, which is over 700 degrees.
Oh, my word.
So pizza-oven hot.
You're right there.
Right there.
You're in this.
Yes, absolutely. Thebacteria were not in the database. We believe that some of them were consuming methane gas, living in a place where it is completely inhospitable to us.
I've got to say something. How could you still be talking to us? Why didn't you burn up?
A lot of planning, a lot of preparation, a lot of different equipment, and I was wearing a heat-protective suit. We stretched across the entire crater with fire-resistant ropes. The climbing harness was made from a material that wouldn't melt. I had my own air. I was able to rappel down on pulleys. After two years of planning and preparation, I had 17 minutes to do all of the work that I had to do.
Oh, mercy. Do we know why that crater is there?
There is some controversy about that. It was definitely a natural gas drilling operation that went wrong. There are conflicting stories about when it happened. People say it happened in 1971. I spoke to some local geologists who said that it happened in the 1960s and didn't catch on until the 1980s. It is both terrifying and beautiful when you visit.
Tell us about the beautiful part.
The crater lights up the sky at night. It's the largest fire pit you could imagine.
SIMON: (mocking).
The light attracts moths to a flame.
SIMON: Yeah.
Birds will swoop down below the crater rim to hunt the moths. It's a strange place.
Wow. The president of Turkmenistan wants to end it. What do you think about that, as the guy who's been there?
I understand why they would want to put out the fire. They want to get to the natural gas reserves underneath. It's an embarrassment to the government. They have made this declaration a number of times. I'm waiting to see if the president goes through with it this time.
You sound like you enjoy this place.
Twelve people have stood on the surface of the moon, but only one person has been to the Gates of Hell. I was very lucky to be there. I have a Guinness World Record certificate above my desk. I get a kick out of that.
George is the first person to reach the bottom of the Gates of Hell and he is on the show.
Thanks for being with us.
Thank you.
There is a sound of glass animals' "HEATWAVES".
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