Underneath our feet, the earth stores masses of organic matter like peat, coal, or methane, which are all extremely flammable. When conditions are right (or someone does something stupid), these masses can ignite and burn for years underground before we even know it. Even when we know about them, there is little we can do when the fuel seems unlimited and our efforts to fight these underground fires is quite limited. What's really going on with these underground "zombie fires" that spread beneath us?
Zombie fires are even more dangerous than they appear. Sure, there's the danger of falling into one, and the danger that the fires will burst through to the surface. In addition, even when they stay underground, they are emitting smoke and tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, contributing to toxic pollution and to climate change. Oh yeah, and they are burning up our fuel. What can we do? Scientists are working on solutions. Let's hope they make progress in our lifetime. -via Damn Interesting
