A group of Chinese scientists made up of speleologists has made a truly amazing discovery, locating a gigantic sinkhole almost 200 meters deep at the bottom of which grows a Totally unusual forest, with giant trees.
It is a karst sinkhole, formed by natural processes, in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, which is precisely known for hosting important karst formations, from caves to rock pillars and natural bridges, and for this reason it is a World Heritage Site. Unesco.
The sinkhole now discovered it is 192 meters deep and is home to 40-meter-high ancient treeswhich, deprived of sunlight for most of the day, have grown larger than normal to try to achieve the clarity that allows them to live.
Plants growing on the ground are likewise of exceptional sizel, reaching the height of a person, according to the members of the expedition.
Also, this forest could contain plant and animal species still unknown to science. Scientists have discovered three different entrances to this chasm, after rappelling into it and walking for several hours to reach the bottom of the pit.
The hole is 306 meters long and 150 meters wide, and its view from the air is impressive, as it resembles a hole left in the mountains by some kind of impact.
Giant sinkholes, also known as Tiankeng (“heavenly wells”) in Chinese, are giant sinkholes or sinkholes, with special geological features that are formed by repeated landslides. They are formed in karstic terrain, which are regions made up of compact and soluble rocks of calcareous origin, which dissolve and acquire peculiar shapes, including caves like this one.
With this discovery, the number of sinkholes in this region of China rises to 30, although there could be similar structures further north, according to other sources.
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