Many locations on Earth are named after hell due to their unique and mysterious characteristics.
According to Francesco Perono Cacciafoco, a linguistics professor at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University in China, geological structures are often named based on their shapes, in accordance with local culture, customs, beliefs, and legends. The term “hell” is commonly associated with mysterious places characterized by strange rock formations, fog, natural pits in the ground, dense vegetation, or sudden changes in natural features, which easily evoke thoughts of the underworld, according to Popular Science.
The Gateway to Hell – The Batagay Crater in Siberia
A part of the Batagay Crater formed by melting permafrost. (Photo: Padi Prints).
The Batagay Crater is the largest sinkhole formed by melting permafrost in the world. Although it has only emerged relatively recently following forest clearing activities in the mid-20th century, this site has garnered significant attention. The Batagay Crater is often likened to a gateway to hell due to the loud explosions that emanate from the subsiding area as the ground shifts. Scientists study the sinkhole to monitor its growth as more permafrost melts at its edge. It serves as a symbol of the ongoing climate change phenomenon.
The Door to Hell – The Darvaza Gas Crater in Turkmenistan
The Darvaza Crater has been burning for decades. (Photo: ANJCI).
Researchers are still unclear on how the Darvaza gas crater was formed. Between 1960 and 1980, Soviet engineers drilled around the Karakum Desert in Turkmenistan in search of fossil fuels. Their exploratory drilling accidentally caused the drilling rig to collapse, revealing a massive crater that continuously emits methane gas along with various other gases. Whether they accidentally or intentionally ignited the gas, the crater has been burning continuously since the mid-20th century. Darvaza is an open fire pit that is inhospitable to life.
Hell’s Gate National Park in Kenya
Hell’s Gate National Park is a relatively small conservation area located about 90 km from Nairobi. It is home to a variety of wildlife, including leopards, baboons, vultures, and rock hyraxes, as well as five geothermal plants. The park was established in 1984. The name of the area was given by European explorers Gustav Fischer and Joseph Thomson in 1883, referring to the Ol Njorowa Gorge or another narrow rift in the highlands that occupies much of the park. Some others explain that the park’s name is related to the nearby Longonot Volcano and the geothermal activity in the region.
The Mouth of Hell – The Masaya Caldera in Nicaragua
Steam rising from the Masaya Volcano. (Photo: Jens Kalaene).
One of the many places likened to an entrance to hell due to geothermal activity is the Masaya Caldera in Nicaragua, located within the first and largest national park in Nicaragua. In the 16th century, Spanish colonizers referred to the volcano as “the Mouth of Hell” based on the lava lake in the caldera. Masaya is an active volcano that has been continuously erupting since 2015, releasing gas, steam, and molten lava. Due to the risk of explosions and landslides, Masaya National Park was temporarily closed in March.