Earth’s skin is cracked and full of fissures, like a teenager with severe acne. But the most fascinating of these geological zits are black point fissures – spots where a demonic red glow emanates from jagged holes in the ground. These freaky earth pimples not only give us a sneak peek into the planet’s guts but also serve as gateways to a subterranean alien world. Who needs a fancy spacecraft when you’ve got a fiery portal to the unknown right under your toes?
What Causes Black Point Fissures?
Black point fissures are like the Earth’s version of a bad case of heartburn. They form when underground coal seam fires are starved of oxygen, causing a buildup of gassy byproducts like carbon monoxide and hydrogen sulfide. These gases, with nowhere else to go, seep through cracks in the rock like a silent but deadly fart.
As the Earth expands and contracts with temperature changes, it’s like it’s doing yoga, opening up more cracks for the gases to escape. When hydrogen sulfide meets oxygen, it’s like a chemical blind date that results in a bright red, chemiluminescent glow. It’s the Earth’s way of putting on a flashy light show, using its own toxic gases as special effects.
Where Black Point Fissures Are Found
Black point fissures linked to underground coal fires are mostly found in regions with abundant coal deposits close to the surface. China, India, Australia and the United States host some of the most spectacular examples.
The Burning Mountain in Australia is an entire ridge ablaze with smoke and fire, dotted with angry red vents. India’s Jatinga Valley holds the unearthly Daroni and Sarali black point fissures belching poison gas from the coal fields below. The USA is home to the Centralia mine fire in Pennsylvania – an underground coal seam blaze that has been burning over 50 years, turning the once idyllic mining town into a smoke-filled wasteland.
Getting to Notable Fissure Sites
Reaching remote fissure sites can prove challenging for even seasoned travelers. Here’s how to embark on an expedition to some of the most spectacular destinations:
Daroni and Sarali Fissures, India
Ready for an adventure? Head to India’s Jatinga Valley, where the Daroni and Sarali black point fissures await your awe-struck gaze. First, make your way to Dibrugarh City by plane or car, then buckle up for a wild 50-mile 4×4 ride into the mountains with a trusty guide. Just make sure your driver knows how to navigate those monsoon-flooded rivers in June – you don’t want to end up as fish food! Finally, put on your hiking boots and trek that last mile to witness the Earth’s fiery breath up close. It’s like a real-life version of Mario’s journey to the castle, minus the friendly mushrooms.
Yanar Dag, Azerbaijan
The easiest fiery fissure to access, Yanar Dag’s burning hillside lies just 18 miles outside Azerbaijan’s capital Baku taking under an hour to reach by rental car or taxi. Simply route to the town of Mardakan then follow signs leading east out of town directly to the base of the flaming hill. Gaze in wonder at the natural gas vents fueling flames across the Absheron landscape.
Kawah Ijen, Indonesia
View the bizarre glowing blue sulfur fire of Kawah Ijen on Indonesia’s East Java island. Fly into Bali then take the ferry east across the Bali Strait to East Java. Rent a car and drive 7-8 grueling hours to Licin village basecamp. There hire a local guide to lead the risky overnight summit hike up the volcano’s precarious terrain. Witness the spectral blue flames dance across the hyper-acidic crater lake under starry Indonesian night skies.
Centralia, Pennsylvania
To see the subterranean coal seam fires eating Centralia, PA from within, fly into Northeast Philadelphia Airport. Rent a car and drive 2 hours northwest. Once a thriving mining town, Centralia is now an eerie abandoned place with sulfur gases leaking from vents dotting areas where pillar supports burned away beneath the town. Use caution exploring old Route 61’s graffiti-covered highway or steamy waste gaps that open without warning!
Dangers and Scientific Study
While visually stunning, black point fissures pose serious environmental and health dangers. The seeping gases create air quality issues while contaminating soil and water. Structures located near venting grounds can be destabilized by fluctuating temperatures and shifting surface terrain.
The high concentrations of carbon monoxide and hydrogen sulfide make black point fissures hazardous to approach or study closely. The toxicity, remote locations and unpredictability of venting activity limits scientific access. Most examination is done by satellite or remote sensing technology.
Still, scientists are extremely interested to study these rare vents to better understand subterranean coal fires and similar geologic activity deeper within the earth. Collecting gas and isotopic samples could provide insight into complex heating, pressurization, melting and differentiation processes happening miles underground.
An Unearthly Landscape
Upon venturing out to a black point fissure site, visitors are greeted by an alien panorama. The smell hits first – like foulest rotten eggs from the hydrogen sulfide. Then the ear-splitting scream as superheated gas tears from the earth. The red glow contrasts against blackened rubble and coal scattered about the vent orifice. Only the hardiest extremophile plants can grow in this hostile environment.
Approaching closer, the intense heat rising from cracks in the earth can make eyes water and skin prickle. Care must be taken not to stumble into a hidden fiery vent disguised by vegetation or loose rock. Explorers report difficulty breathing near the sulfurous vents as toxic fumes overwhelm the lungs.
One might forget they are standing upon terra firma. The violent venting and hellish panorama better resemble Io, Jupiter’s reactionary moon of sulfurous volcanism. This is Earth inverted – the hot mantle exposed while black space looms above.
Packing List for Fissure Exploration
Venturing out to a rift draining Earth’s smoldering underbelly requires proper preparation and packing. Here’s what to bring on a black point fissure expedition:
- Sturdy Boots – Heat-resistant boots with traction to handle loose rubble and hidden hot spots are essential to safely walk areas with swirling toxic gases. Leather or rubber construction prevents melting or burning feet.
- Fire Retardant Clothing – Flame-retardant coveralls, jackets, pants and gloves provide protection if sudden bursts of hot gas or liquid spew forth. Choose external layers that can be easily shed. Avoid synthetic fabrics that could melt.
- Gas Mask – Carry a complete face and respiratory gas mask with replaceable filters to prevent inhaling toxic sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide and hydrogen sulfide gases. Bring spare oxygen canisters that allow safe fissure area entry for extended periods.
- Helmet and Goggles – Wear a hard hat lined with temperature retardant materials capable of withstanding falling debris, combustion byproducts or splashing hot liquids expectorated from vent openings. Use heat-resistant wrap-around goggles for eye shielding.
- Protective Face Shield – Bring a transparent face shield made of high temperature acrylic or silicone to guard the gas mask and head area from sudden flares of superheated discharge. Keep handy attached to the helmet or neck chain.
- Heat Insulating Gloves – Use thick gloves designed for extreme environments like welding or foundry work. Leather construction with insulation layered underneath helps when needing to touch hot rocks or materials around simmering vents.
- High Heat Tools – Bring specialized shovels, sample containers and other gear designed to withstand extreme temperatures. Use heat and chemical resistant handle coverings for necessary tooling work near vent openings.
Spiritual and Cultural Significance
Beyond scientific interest, black point fissures hold religious and cultural mystique in local legends. Fiery rifts in the earth have long been associated with the underworld. Christianity warns of Hell’s consuming flames within the pit. The ancient Greek’s named the entryway to Hade’s kingdom Tartarus, believing black point fissures were entrances allowing direct passage into the infernal realm.
In India, the Daroni black point fissure is revered as the southern mouth of Yamaloka, the Hindu god of death. Celebrants trek from great distances bearing consecrated rice balls to feed the subterranean spirits. The rice offerings prevent damned souls from leaving the fissure to afflict villages.
Anthropologist Sir James Frazer described magical religious rites held by tribes in Sunda, Indonesia near persistent earth vents. Tribesman believed salamanders and evil spirits inhabited the sulfurous crevices. Only witch doctors could approach to conduct exorcism ceremonies enticing spirits to seal the smoking rifts.
Notable Black Point Fissure Destinations
For daring travelers seeking their own infernal experience, several extraordinary global sites offer a direct experience with searing vents to the underworld:
Daroni & Sarali, India
The Jatinga Valley in India’s northeastern coal country contains two spectacular black point fissures – Daroni and Sarali. Here the coal seams smolder constantly, rupturing the surface with hot gases and red glow. Daroni is the larger fissure, wider and more volatile. It’s belching flames are believed to form the southern mouth to the land of spirits. Nearby Sarali is smaller but also extremely hot, with temperatures over 92°C measured inside it’s vent.
Yanar Dag, Azerbaijan
Translated as “burning mountain”, Azerbaijan’s Yanar Dag is a large burning hillside on the Absheron Peninsula by the Caspian Sea. Natrual oil seeps fuel the blazing earth fractures continually alight with yellow-red flames. Early historical references to “eternally burning miraculous flames” suggest these gas vents have remained active for thousands of years.
Kawah Ijen, Indonesia
The Ijen volcano in East Java, Indonesia hosts a fiery acid lake within it’s active crater dubbed the “blue fire.” This high- elevation crater lake sports an otherworldly greenish glow from it’s acidic briny waters. Volcanic gases rising from the lake bottom ignite spontaneous blue flames, creating a haunting night sight for visitors willing to brave the treacherous hike. Kawah Ijen is a true hidden hell on earth.
Coal Seam Fires, Rural Pennsylvania
In the forests and villages of rural Pennsylvania, over thirty known abandoned coal mines smolder with insidious underground fires. Open fissures, sinkholes and vent pipes dot areas over abandoned mineshafts allowing combustion gases to seep to the surface. The fires propagate through coal seams too deep or expensive to extinguish. Local legends tell of ghosts and strange creatures emerging from these endless burns far beneath the bucolic countryside.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Approach no nearer than 20-30 feet. Burns, falling debris and toxic gas make the immediate area surrounding vent openings extremely hazardous. Only specially trained scientists can enter nearer zones.
No, extended exposure to low levels of fissure gases can also be dangerous. Limit visit duration to under an hour with proper protective gear. Fumes may overwhelm tents or structures overnight.
No, these openings provide vents for underground coal seam fires, not volcanic activity. Still, expect hot mud, boiling water, burning coal and hydrocarbon liquids to occasionally spray from cracks in the earth.
Yes, burning material or hot discharge sprayed from the vents can start small brush and peat fires. Fissures surrounded by coal slag piles sustain slow-burning surface coal fires for decades contributing to air pollution.
The red glow results from hot hydrogen sulfide meeting oxygen. The blue sulfur flames in volcanic fissure craters comes from the unique combustion properties of extremely hot sulfurous gases.
Yes, burning coal seams extending under lakes, bays or oceans can rupture to form bubbling fiery vents producing sulfurous lake bottoms inhospitable to life. Use extreme caution around underwater gas releases.
Planning a Black Point Fissure Expedition
Before you go poking around in the Earth’s fiery pimples, make sure you’re prepared. Check the weather forecast to avoid getting caught in a toxic rain or gas storm. Don’t forget your stylish hazmat suit, climbing gear, and a trusty gas mask with oxygen tanks – you don’t want to be caught inhaling the Earth’s noxious burps. And for goodness’ sake, bring a map and an emergency plan in case the ground decides to crumble beneath your feet. Sure, these fissures are Instagram-worthy, but use a zoom lens – no selfie is worth becoming a human sacrifice to the underworld!
Lastly, get your mind ready for the adventure of a lifetime. You’ll face risks and discomfort as you probe the planet’s deepest, darkest secrets. But hey, it’s not every day you get to peek into the Earth’s fiery underbelly! Just remember, you’re witnessing the raw power of nature hidden beneath our feet. A black point fissure trip is like a journey to the center of the Earth, minus the dinosaurs and the singing volcano. Get ready for a humbling experience that’ll make you feel tiny in the face of our planet’s awesomeness!
