Did you know a sinkhole in Asia plays host to a lush, ancient forest where trees tower nearly 130 feet tall?
Two years ago, scientists in Southwestern China discovered life was teaming inside a gigantic sinkhole, situated in the Leye-Fengshan Global Geopark in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of the country.
The depression, which forms part of the UNESCO site, was proclaimed by Zhang Yuanhai, a senior engineer with the Institute of Karst Geology, to stretch over 1,000 feet in length, 490 feet in width and to be almost 630 feet in depth.
Yuanhai also explained the site had ‘a well-preserved primitive forest at the bottom’ and three cave entrances inside of it.
What’s even more exciting is that researchers believe there may be unknown flora as well as animals dwelling within.
The sinkhole was discovered in May 2022 (Leye-Fengshan Global Geopark)
Speaking about the findings, UNESCO claimed: “The UNESCO Global Geopark is primarily sedimentary with more than 60 percent of 3000m thick Devonian to Permian carbonate rocks.
“It forms an 'S'-shaped structure and a rhombus configuration in the karst areas of Leye and Fengshan counties respectively, which controlled two large subterranean rivers’ development, the Bailang and Poyue.”
It’s said that the Buliuhe River was formed between the two bodies of water and that various ‘karst geosites’ were also created.
A ‘karst’ is a terrain where dissolving bedrock can create sinkholes due to eroding landscape both above and below ground.
Examples of karsts within the Leye-Fengshan Global Geopark include karst springs, karst windows (tiankengs), natural bridges and extensive caves.
Speaking to Live Science about the sinkhole expedition, leader Chen Lixin said at the time: “I wouldn’t be surprised to know that there are species found in these caves that have never been reported or described by science until now.”
He added that some of the trees found in the ancient forest were nearly 130 feet tall.
Trees up to 130 feet tall were discovered (Xinhua)
George Veni, the executive director of the National Cave and Karst Research Institute, also told the publication that differences in geology, climate and other factors meant that a karst can be dramatically different depending on where it is.
"In China, you have this incredibly visually spectacular karst with enormous sinkholes and giant cave entrances and so forth,” he explained. “In other parts of the world you walk out on the karst and you really don’t notice anything. Sinkholes might be quite subdued, only a meter or two in diameter.
"Cave entrances might be very small, so you have to squeeze your way into them.”
According to the expert, southern China is home to such vast karst topography that its landscape is prone to creating many deep sinkholes and explorable caves.
He added that slightly acidic rainwater is usually the cause of bedrock beginning to dissolve in a karst landscape.
It’s said that the rainwater becomes more acidic as it picks up carbon dioxide and runs through the soil.
Then, it trickles and flows through cracks in the bedrock before it eventually hollows them out into tunnels and voids.
It's thought unknown plants and animals could dwell within the ancient forest (Xinhua)
If one of these chambers becomes large enough then the ceiling will collapse and a potentially giant sinkhole will be formed.
Interestingly, the Geopark sinkhole was the 30th to be discovered in the region, but it isn’t the biggest.
The Xiaozhai Tiankeng sinkhole holds the crown for being the world’s biggest sinkhole with a volume of 130 million cubic meters.
‘Tiankeng’ means ‘The Heavenly Pit’ and this natural wonder is home to over 1200 species of plants and animals.
The sinkhole there is 2,100 feet deep, 2,000 feet long and 1,760 feet wide and includes a waterfall within its depths.
It’s pretty spectacular, don’t you think?
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