The mystery of Australia’s “Burning Mountain” that has been burning for at least 6,000 years underground

If “the Gate of Hell” of Turkmenistan seemed surprising to you because of the mysteries it contains, wait until you know Australia’s “Burning Mountain” that has been burning for about 6,000 years and nobody knows how it started.

The fire, located under Mount Wingen, in New South Wales, Australia, is not like any other that you can see with the naked eye, but of an underground burning almost impossible to quench from a coal seam.

It is not known precisely how long it has been burning

Underground coal seam fires are fairly common phenomena. There are thousands of them around the world, but usually usually turn off after a few weeks or months.

But the fire of “Burning Mountain”, also known by its English name Burning Mountain is a real mystery for researchers, who they don’t know for sure when the fire started.

Guillermo Rein, professor of fire sciences at Imperial College London affirms that it is not that the fire is 6,000 years old, but that it is “at least 6,000 years old“which means it has been burning for much longer.

Another factor that puzzles researchers is the area of ​​fire below the ground and its temperature. However, it is believed that it could have between 5 and 10 meters in diameter and temperatures of 1,000 ºC.

An invisible fire that moves underground

The Mount Wingen underground coal seam fire develops at 30 meters underground. And, instead of being static, it is moving south at a speed of about 1 meter per year.

Although the fire is not visible, there are some factors that evidence its existence. People who visit the place can observe some of smoke and white ash, soil warm to the touch, and discolored rocks.

There is also a “sulfuric smell” and totally absent vegetation. Rein explains that in the place where the fire is “there is nothing alive”, however, where it was 20 or 30 years ago the vegetation has returned forming a new landscape.

No one can confirm who or what turned it on

The stories about the origin of “the Burning Mountain” of the Wanaruah people, the historical custodians of this place, speak of the tears of a widow who lit the fire or of the torch of a warrior captured by “the Evil One”.

However from the point of view of science, the picture changes completely. In 1829 it was concluded that it was a coal seam and, with the passage of time, two hypotheses took hold.

On the one hand, the intervention of the human being is considered, perhaps after having set fire on top of the mountain. But researchers are more inclined to natural causes, such as a forest fire or lightning that ignited the outcrop.

There are also no certainties about how long Mount Wingen will burn. As the fire moves underground, it is fed with oxygen that allows it to “stay alive”, so it could continue like this for thousands of years.

Via | ScienceAlert

Images | Danny Yee | Wikimedia