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Appreciate the Wonders of Eternal Flame Falls
Earth’s Eternal Flame A Glimpse Into a Mystery of Nature
Visitors to Eternal Flame Falls, a unique, naturally occurring gas flame emanating from the ground near Orchard Park, New York, often describe it with feelings of awe. A natural gas leak from deep in the ground fuels the Eternal Flame, and a waterfall tumbles down from a rock face between hikers and the flame, creating a grotto-like effect that draws scores of visitors year-round. Natural gas emissions from the Earth aren’t uncommon; however, the flame that gives Eternal Flame Falls its name is unique in several ways. According to a team of Italian and American geologists who investigated the leak in 2013, the gas is released at a relatively shallow depth of about 1,300 feet underground. The lukewarm shale surrounding its origins is much cooler than the 100-degree Celsius
temperatures at the origin point of most naturally occurring flames.
Natural gas leaks are usually composed of methane, but the gas fueling New York’s Eternal Flame is a unique blend of 35% ethane and propane in addition to methane. The research team also noted a series of other small gas seeps within the shale layer where the Eternal Flame flare originates. One geologist on the team theorized that the gas might have been produced within the shale by a different process that scientists have not yet identified. In addition to gas combustion, natural eternal flames can be created by peat fires or coal seam fires, ignited by lightning, human activity, or electricity caused by tectonic stress. Humans often create and maintain eternal flames, too, to commemorate people
or events. In the U.S., manmade eternal flames burn at Ground Zero, the site of the 2001 terrorist attacks, and the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. The hike to view New York’s Eternal Flame Falls is a 40-minute round trip. However, the flame is difficult to access in wet seasons when the river swells to a torrent, so check the weather beforehand.
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