A man recently made an extraordinary discovery in a New York waterfall: an eternal flame lurked inside the waterfall, one of the nine known to exist on our planet.
These remarkable flames possess the ability to burn tirelessly and require no human intervention or fresh fuel supply.
A man spotted an eternal flame inside a waterfall in New York
Mike Loughran stumbled upon this mesmerizing phenomenon during his travels to Eternal Flame Falls.
He encountered a small grotto where an eternal flame nestled at the base of the waterfall.
After being captivated by the sight, Mike recorded a video to share the breathtaking natural wonder with others on social media.
Most eternal flames originate from natural gas leaks, sustained by abundant fuel sources that allow them to burn indefinitely.
Some were ignited by human intervention, albeit unknowingly by individuals unaware of the fire's enduring nature. Others were sparked by natural phenomena, such as lightning strikes.
Eternal flames are scattered throughout the world
Several natural eternal flames can be found in various locations worldwide, including Turkey, India, Iraq, and Nepal. These flames have reputedly burned for thousands of years.
Besides the nine natural eternal flames mentioned by Mike, there are more such phenomena around the world.
The majority of eternal flames are fueled by natural gas deposits, while a few are sustained by burning coal seams.
One particularly famous example is the "door to hell" in Turkmenistan, a massive crater ablaze for decades atop a natural gas field.
Artificial eternal flames are used for remembrance
Additionally, certain eternal flames are created by humans with the purpose of commemoration.
They serve as an act of commemoration, symbolizing important events or paying tribute to significant individuals.
In the United Kingdom, examples of these eternal flames can be found at New Scotland Yard in London, honoring fallen police officers, at Liverpool's Anfield stadium, as a memorial for the Hillsborough disaster victims, and in Derry, representing renewed aspirations for peace after The Troubles.
