14 DAY TRIAL // Geologists and other scientists are now scratching their heads trying to figure out how and why a blazing sinkhole appeared on the side of a mountain not far from the city of Ürümqi in China.
The sinkhole, shown in the photos accompanying this article, is believed to have formed a few weeks back. However, it was only days ago that a group of workers chanced to find it and alerted authorities.
Locals call it the Gateway to Hell
It is understood that the sinkhole measures about 3 feet (nearly 1 meter) across, so it's safe to say that, size-wise, it isn't what some would call impressive.
Even so, locals refer to it as the Gateway to Hell. This is because, ever since it formed, it's been constantly spewing out insanely hot air. In fact, the sinkhole itself looks ablaze.
Researchers who have had the chance to study the sinkhole say that the air coming out of it has a temperature of 792 degrees Celsius (1,457 degrees Fahrenheit).
This explains why tree branches held over the sinkhole almost immediately burst into flames and why scientists have not yet been able to look inside it and determine its depth.
“The air blasting out of the hole is so hot, that if you hold a branch near to it it bursts into flames,” a Chinese geologist named Hu Tan told the press in an interview.
A possible explanation
Let's face it, the odds that the lord of the underworld will come bursting through this sinkhole in China anytime soon are pretty much slim to none. Surely he would set up a more impressive gate for himself.
The area that accommodates for this so-called Gateway to Hell was intensely mined back in the 1970s. Hence, scientists believe that the hole formed because of and is fueled by an underground coal fire.
“Primitive mining and extinguishing techniques caused coal to burn deep under the ground,” said mining expert Cao Jianwen in a statement, as cited by RT.
“Operators didn’t seal the mines properly after business discontinued and this leads the underground fire to burn towards the surface of the earth,” he added.
To make sure that the fumes rising from the sinkhole do not sicken people living in the area, efforts are now being made to come up with a way to seal if off.
