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Cases / Oil, gas and coal operations · Turkmenistan · 1971–2026

Darvaza gas crater: orders to extinguish the fire, wells drilled, methane measured

Nature's voice · report
In 2020–2025 satellites detected 44 methane plumes from my Darvaza crater at 1,000–3,000 kg/h, a five-year total of 71 ± 21 kt, according to a preprint that is not peer-reviewed.
Did nature suffer? Yes. Harm is on record. Disputed
Recorded
What the record lacks: 3 none on record · 3 not disclosed · 1 not measured · 5 disputed · 2 unclear See the gaps
Accounts of the harm differ
Why the flame declined and by how much
  • Company or project Türkmengaz (Myrad Archayev): Combustion intensity fell by more than half after the 2024 wells. Nebitgaz (oilgas.gov.tm)
  • Company or project A Türkmengaz representative, to RFE/RL: The fire reduction is nearly threefold; mothballed wells were reopened. RFE/RL (Amos Chapple)
  • Researchers Capterio, via Newser/NYT: Heat fell by more than 75% in three years, with dimming that began before the 2024 wells. Newser
  • Company or project Kayrros: The fall in CO2 from 50,500 tons (2018) to 37,600 tons (2021) was most likely due to depleting levels or changing flows of the burning gas. Kayrros
Whether methane release fell with the flame
  • Researchers Valverde et al. (preprint): Flaring declined gradually with no apparent correlation to methane release; the crater is a rare and persistent emitter. EarthArXiv (Valverde, Irakulis-Loitxate, Gorroño, Pei, Guanter)
  • Researchers Carbon Mapper, via Newser/NYT: Average of about 1,300 kg/h in 2022–2025, with a spike to 1,960 kg/h in late 2025. Newser
  • Company or project Türkmengaz, via RFE/RL: A new well will completely eliminate uncontrolled gas emissions into the atmosphere. RFE/RL (Amos Chapple)
  • Researchers Sukru Merey, Batman University: Even after drilling a new well, it may not be possible to completely eliminate gas leakage to the crater. RFE/RL (Amos Chapple)

The Darvaza gas crater in Turkmenistan's Karakum desert has burned since late 1987 or early 1988, according to a satellite preprint. Turkmenistan's president ordered the fire extinguished in January 2022, Türkmengaz reported combustion falling after wells were drilled in 2024, and a preprint measured continuing methane release.

71 ± 21 ktMethane from the crater, 2020–2025 (preprint)
Five-year total CH4 from 44 plumes at 1,000–3,000 kg/h; a preprint, not peer-reviewed.

Status As of July 2026: a preprint reports continuing methane release; no cost for the wells is on record.

What?
The Darvaza gas crater in Turkmenistan's Karakum desert has burned for decades. The president ordered the fire extinguished in 2022, Türkmengaz drilled wells in 2024 to divert gas, and a preprint measured continuing methane release from the crater. Kuwait Times
Where?
The Chaljulba structure of the Zeagli-Darvaza group of gas fields in the Central Karakum, Ahal province, about 270 km north of Ashgabat. The Times of Central Asia
When?
Formation dated to 1971 (AFP) or the 1960s or 1970s (RFE/RL); combustion from late 1987 or early 1988 (preprint); presidential orders in 2010 and on 8 January 2022; wells in July and December 2024; plan for a further well in December 2025. Kuwait Times
Who?
Gained
  • Turkmenistan — Gas diverted by the new wells; the president cited valuable natural resources and significant profits in January 2022 Kuwait Times
Lost
  • Turkmenistan — Decades of gas leakage with an estimated market value of about USD 300 million (RFE/RL; estimator not named) RFE/RL (Amos Chapple)
Harmed
Why?
Earlier attempts to extinguish the fire failed because gas leaked from multiple outlets, according to the plan of Türkmengaz's Scientific Research Institute of Natural Gas, as reported by the Times of Central Asia. The Times of Central Asia
How?
Türkmengaz drilled wells at the Chaljulba field to draw gas away from the crater; methane was measured by satellites (EnMAP, PRISMA, EMIT, GF-5A, ZY-1E) and the heat by infrared imagery. Nebitgaz (oilgas.gov.tm)
6 of 6 questions answered from the record

What happened

The record, in order.

The Darvaza crater lies on the Chaljulba structure of the Zeagli-Darvaza group of gas fields in the Central Karakum, Ahal province, about 270 km north of Ashgabat. AFP gave its size as 70 m wide and 20 m deep. AFP said it formed in a Soviet drilling collapse in 1971, and RFE/RL put the formation in the '1960s or 1970s'; a satellite preprint dated the start of combustion to late 1987 or early 1988 using Landsat.

Turkmenistan's president first ordered experts to find a way to put out the fire in 2010. In a televised order on 8 January 2022 he said the fire 'negatively affects both the environment and the health of the people living nearby' and told officials to 'find a solution to extinguish the fire'; he also said 'We are losing valuable natural resources for which we could get significant profits' (AFP).

Türkmengaz deputy chairman Myrad Archayev said in April 2025 that observation well No. 11 gave 'an industrial inflow of low-pressure gas from 200 meters' in July 2024, that exploratory well No. 12 gave slightly gasified formation water, and that well No. 4, completed in December 2024, had a gas inflow of about 600,000 m³ per day; he added that 'Satellite data show combustion intensity in the crater fell by more than half.' A Turkmen consulate item said new production wells near the crater at the Chaljulba field had halved emissions. In late December 2025 and January 2026, Türkmengaz's Scientific Research Institute of Natural Gas set out a plan to drill an operational and appraisal well at Chaljulba to draw gas away from the crater; the gas-bearing layers lie at 200–950 m, and earlier attempts failed because gas leaked from multiple outlets. A Türkmengaz representative told RFE/RL that the fire reduction was 'nearly threefold' and that mothballed wells had been reopened.

The analytics company Kayrros estimated emissions from the burning at 50,500 tons of CO2 in 2018 and 37,600 tons in 2021, 'most likely due to depleting levels or changing flows of the burning natural gas', and said this was less than 1% of the oil and gas sector's direct emissions. A preprint from the Universitat Politècnica de València and UNEP's International Methane Emissions Observatory (first posted 20 June 2025, version 3 on 2 July 2026, not peer-reviewed) recorded 44 methane plumes in 2020–2025 at 1,000–3,000 kg/h, a five-year total of 71 ± 21 kt of methane, and an extrapolated total since formation of more than 900 ± 300 kt. It found that flaring declined gradually 'with no apparent correlation to methane release' and called the crater 'a rare and persistent emitter'. Carbon Mapper data cited by the New York Times (via Newser, May 2026) showed an average of about 1,300 kg/h of methane in 2022–2025, with a spike to 1,960 kg/h in late 2025.

According to the New York Times (4 May 2026, via Newser), infrared data from Capterio showed the crater's heat falling by more than 75% in three years, with the dimming starting before the 2024 wells, and a smaller flame did not automatically benefit the climate because the fire turns methane into CO2. Tour operators told RFE/RL that the flames had been falling for years. Türkmengaz and the government gave no cost for the wells; Batman University scientist Sukru Merey estimated a secondary well at 'millions of dollars', and RFE/RL cited an estimate of about USD 300 million as the market value of decades of gas leakage, without naming who made it.

  1. 1971Formation of the crater, said by AFP to be a Soviet drilling collapse in 1971 (RFE/RL: '1960s or 1970s')
  2. 1987Start of combustion in late 1987 or early 1988, according to a Landsat-based preprint
  3. 2010President first orders experts to find a way to extinguish the fire
  4. 2022Televised order to extinguish the fire (8 Jan)
  5. 2024Observation well No. 11 yields gas (July); well No. 4 completed (December)
  6. 2025Türkmengaz statement on halved combustion (April); preprint first posted (20 June); plan for a further well (28 Dec)
  7. 2026Newser/NYT: heat down more than 75% in three years (4 May); preprint version 3 (2 July)

What was said

Claims, in the words of those who made them.

“negatively affects both the environment and the health of the people living nearby”

Turkmenistan's president, as reported by AFP, on the burning crater · 8 January 2022 · Kuwait Times

“We are losing valuable natural resources for which we could get significant profits”

Turkmenistan's president, as reported by AFP · January 2022 · Kuwait Times

“Satellite data show combustion intensity in the crater fell by more than half.”

“Even after drilling [a new well], it may not be possible to completely eliminate gas leakage to the crater.”

“did not appear to track changes in methane release”

“in particular last year, the flames were at a significantly lower level”

Where accounts differ

Each party's account, side by side, with its source. The record does not settle these points; it shows them.

Why the flame declined and by how much
Company or project
Türkmengaz (Myrad Archayev)

Combustion intensity fell by more than half after the 2024 wells.

Nebitgaz (oilgas.gov.tm)
Company or project
A Türkmengaz representative, to RFE/RL

The fire reduction is nearly threefold; mothballed wells were reopened.

RFE/RL (Amos Chapple)
Researchers
Capterio, via Newser/NYT

Heat fell by more than 75% in three years, with dimming that began before the 2024 wells.

Newser
Company or project
Kayrros

The fall in CO2 from 50,500 tons (2018) to 37,600 tons (2021) was most likely due to depleting levels or changing flows of the burning gas.

Kayrros
Whether methane release fell with the flame
Researchers
Valverde et al. (preprint)

Flaring declined gradually with no apparent correlation to methane release; the crater is a rare and persistent emitter.

EarthArXiv (Valverde, Irakulis-Loitxate, Gorroño, Pei, Guanter)
Researchers
Carbon Mapper, via Newser/NYT

Average of about 1,300 kg/h in 2022–2025, with a spike to 1,960 kg/h in late 2025.

Newser
Company or project
Türkmengaz, via RFE/RL

A new well will completely eliminate uncontrolled gas emissions into the atmosphere.

RFE/RL (Amos Chapple)
Researchers
Sukru Merey, Batman University

Even after drilling a new well, it may not be possible to completely eliminate gas leakage to the crater.

RFE/RL (Amos Chapple)
Date the crater formed
Press and investigations
AFP

A Soviet drilling collapse in 1971.

Kuwait Times
Press and investigations
RFE/RL

The 1960s or 1970s.

RFE/RL (Amos Chapple)
Researchers
Valverde et al. (preprint)

Assumed 1963 or 1971 for formation; Landsat data put the start of combustion in late 1987 or early 1988.

EarthArXiv (Valverde, Irakulis-Loitxate, Gorroño, Pei, Guanter)

How it looked

What was shown, beside what was recorded.

Shown

  • The fire harms the environment and the health of nearby residents and wastes valuable natural resources
    Turkmenistan's president, January 2022 · Kuwait Times
  • Combustion intensity in the crater fell by more than half after wells were drilled in 2024
    Türkmengaz, April 2025 · Nebitgaz (oilgas.gov.tm)
  • Emissions from the crater were halved after new production wells were drilled at Chaljulba
    Turkmen consulate item (year not given, probably 2025) · Consulate General of Turkmenistan, Frankfurt
  • The fire reduction is 'nearly threefold'
    A Türkmengaz representative, to RFE/RL, December 2025 · RFE/RL (Amos Chapple)
  • A new well will 'completely eliminate uncontrolled gas emissions into the atmosphere'
    Türkmengaz, December 2025, as reported by RFE/RL · RFE/RL (Amos Chapple)

Recorded

Who gained

Money that reached nature, beside money that stayed elsewhere.

Reached nature or the ground

Not published
No figure published.

Gained elsewhere

Not totalled
Estimated market value of decades of gas leakage (RFE/RL does not name who made the estimate)≈ $300m
Currency: USD · Window: Not stated. All figures cover the same period. * Estimate built from cited figures.

Responses on record

  • turkmenistan-gov (January 2022; 2025): The president said in January 2022 that the fire harmed the environment and residents' health and that valuable natural resources were being lost; a consulate item said emissions from the crater were halved after new wells. · Kuwait Times
  • turkmengaz (April 2025; December 2025): Deputy chairman Myrad Archayev said combustion intensity fell by more than half after well No. 4 (about 600,000 m³ per day) and observation well No. 11; a representative later said the reduction was nearly threefold and that a new well would completely eliminate uncontrolled gas emissions. · Nebitgaz (oilgas.gov.tm)

In court and with insurers

Every proceeding and every insurer decision on record.

Lawsuits and rulings

No court case on record. No court has ruled on this case.

Insurers

No insurer decision on record.

What nature saw

Outcomes measured on the ground, and nature's note.

Nature's report opens this page. Below: further outcomes measured on the ground.

Methane, 2020–2025
71 ± 21 kt
Five-year total from 44 plumes (preprint, not peer-reviewed)
Methane since formation
> 900 ± 300 kt
Extrapolated total (preprint)
Heat drop in three years
> 75%
Capterio infrared data, via Newser/NYT, May 2026
Wells' cost
Not disclosed
Türkmengaz and the government state no cost

What we don't know

Undisclosed, unproven, untried: recorded as data.
No court caseKey earnings undisclosed

Nature

  • Disputed Why the flame declined and by how much
  • Disputed Whether methane release fell with the flame

Court

Accounts

Record

  • Not disclosed Not disclosed: the cost or budget of the wells drilled in 2024–2025; Türkmengaz and the government state none.
  • Not disclosed Not disclosed: how the Turkmen consulate item measured the halving of emissions, or how the drilling was funded.
  • Not disclosed Not disclosed: who made the estimate of about USD 300 million as the market value of decades of gas leakage; RFE/RL does not name the source.
  • Not measured Not measured: methane release in the RFE/RL article, which gives no methane measurement of its own.
  • Disputed Disputed: why the flame declined and by how much. Türkmengaz attributes the decline to the 2024 wells and gives 'more than half' and, through a representative, 'nearly threefold'; Capterio data show a heat drop of more than 75% in three years, with dimming that began before the 2024 wells.
  • Disputed Disputed: the date of formation. The preprint states assumptions of 1963 or 1971; AFP gives 1971; RFE/RL gives the '1960s or 1970s'; Landsat data put the start of burning in late 1987 or early 1988.
  • Unclear Unclear: Kayrros's units, which are inconsistent in its post ('37,600 k/tons' appears once).
  • Unclear Unclear: whether the well announced for the crater in December 2025 was drilled and what effect it had.
  • None on record None on record: legal proceedings. The orders of 2010 and 2022 are executive instructions.
  • None on record None on record: insurance.

Did the harm stop?

Partly. Türkmengaz and Capterio recorded the flame falling; the preprint found no apparent correlation with methane release, and Carbon Mapper recorded a spike to 1,960 kg/h in late 2025.

Who paid?

Not disclosed: the cost of the 2024–2025 wells. The Turkmen government and Türkmengaz state none; the gas lost over decades has an estimated market value of about USD 300 million (RFE/RL, estimator not named).

Sources

Voices on record: ✓ Company or project✓ Government and regulators— Courts✓ Press and investigations— Communities and civil society✓ Researchers

Company or project

  2. Closing the "Gates of Hell"
    Kayrros · 2022-01-28

Government and regulators

  1. Implementation of the Program for Reducing Methane Emissions into the Environment in Turkmenistan
    Consulate General of Turkmenistan, Frankfurt · 25 April (year not given)

Press and investigations

Researchers

  1. Satellite-based assessment of methane emissions from the Darvaza gas crater (preprint, not peer-reviewed)
    EarthArXiv (Valverde, Irakulis-Loitxate, Gorroño, Pei, Guanter) · 2026-07-02

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