These rare fires—Etiope estimates there are “probably less than 50” globally—are usually found near petroleum fields. They have been seen in countries including the U.S., Romania, Italy, Turkey, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Taiwan, China, India, and Australia.
Some “may have developed thousands, tens of thousands, or even a million years ago,” says Etiope.
One famous fire under a 32-foot waterfall in Chestnut Ridge County Park in New York State is famous for its beauty. Its flame can be around three to eight inches high, depending on the weather and the seasons.
“It shines from behind the veil of cascading water,” says Arndt Schimmelmann, a senior earth scientist at Indiana University, in an email. He recalls Etiope—who he describes as the world expert on natural gas seepages—saying that this is the most beautiful natural “eternal flame” he has ever seen.
Religious and cultural significance
These mystifying flames feature in many mythologies and ancient history.