A Forest Hidden In A Hole
Deep in southern China, explorers peered into a yawning pit that seemed to stretch endlessly downward. Sinkholes like this are nature’s hidden doorways, carved over the ages. What they found here wasn’t just empty rock. It hinted at a world few believed still existed.
Sinkholes Explained Simply
Sinkholes are giant pits that suddenly appear when the ground above collapses into hollow spaces carved by water below. In China, the biggest ones are called tiankeng, meaning “heavenly pits”. Some are shallow, but others, like the Guangxi giant, plunge hundreds of feet straight down.
Scientists Found Prehistoric Forest in a Giant Sinkhole by BRIGHT SIDE
Formation Over Millions Of Years
The process starts when rainwater absorbs carbon dioxide, becoming slightly acidic. Over centuries, that water dissolves limestone beneath the surface to create caves and underground voids. When ceilings weaken, gravity takes over, and so, the land collapses into a sinkhole that exposes whatever lies deep inside.
China's GIANT Sinkholes 🇨🇳 I S2, EP59 by Little Chinese Everywhere
Why Guangxi Is Sinkhole Central
Guangxi, in southern China, is world-famous for its dramatic limestone terrain. Rain and rivers have carved towers, caves, and valleys for millions of years. This type of terrain, called karst, makes Guangxi a hotspot for sinkholes, with some of the largest ever discovered on Earth.
Museum Of Tiankengs
Out of the roughly 300 standard Tiankengs discovered worldwide by the end of 2021, more than 270 are in China, and South China's Guangxi region alone is home to 90 of them. With the world’s three largest Tiankeng groups, Guangxi has rightfully earned the nickname “Museum of Tiankengs”.
The Discovery Announcement
In May 2022, Chinese state media reported a thrilling find: a newly explored tiankeng in Guangxi plunging 630 feet deep and stretching more than 1,000 feet across. Inside, explorers discovered an entire hidden forest. This one is most commonly referred to as the Leye Tiankeng.
Live: A virtual tour of newly discovered giant karst sinkhole in China by CGTN
Who Found It?
The discovery wasn’t random. It was made by the Guangxi 702 Cave Expedition Team, led by veteran speleologist Chen Lixin. This group has explored countless caves in southern China, but even for them, the scale of this sinkhole was jaw-dropping.
Radio Free Asia, part of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, crop by Abovfold, Wikimedia Commons
How They Found It
The sinkhole was first spotted on satellite imagery by explorer Hongying Wu, prompting the expedition team to investigate a massive depression hidden among forested hills. Curious, the expedition team set out to investigate the hole in the ground.
Live: A virtual tour of newly discovered giant karst sinkhole in China by CGTN
First Impressions At The Rim
Standing on the rim, explorers looked over cliffs dropping nearly twice the height of the Statue of Liberty. The mouth stretched more than a thousand feet across, lined with greenery clinging to rock walls. It was like staring into a forgotten world.
Chinese sinkholes unearth 'new wonders' | BBC News by BBC News
The Descent Begins
Reaching the bottom wasn’t simple. Using ropes, helmets, and harnesses, the team inched down sheer cliffs with fatal drops below. Every move demanded precision. The silence deepened as daylight narrowed overhead, broken only by the creak of gear and echoing voices.
Giant cave hall found down sinkhole - BBC News by BBC News
First Steps Into Another World
Hours later, the canopy below came into view. Touching down, explorers found not barren rock but rich soil carpeted with plants. Towering trees rose like skyscrapers, their crowns literally brushing sinkhole walls. The air felt different there.
Scientists Found Prehistoric Forest in a Giant Sinkhole by BRIGHT SIDE
The Prehistoric Look
The scene could’ve been lifted from another era. Ferns grew shoulder-high, vines tangled across branches, and massive trees soared more than 130 feet tall. With sunlight streaming through in fractured beams, the entire scene resembled forests from Earth’s ancient geological past.
Scientists Found Prehistoric Forest in a Giant Sinkhole by BRIGHT SIDE
Cataloging The Flora
Explorers quickly saw this wasn’t ordinary greenery. Towering trees and shrubs like wild plantain and thorny square bamboo dominated the canopy and understory, with some species rare or absent from nearby forests. This sinkhole preserved rare plants sheltered from the outside world.
Microclimate Of The Sinkhole
This green pocket survived thanks to its own microclimate. Shielded from harsh weather above, the air inside stays cooler and damper. Moisture drips from limestone walls, creating conditions perfect for growth—like a natural greenhouse hidden hundreds of feet below the surface.
30th giant karst sinkhole discovered in south China's Guangxi by CGTN
Could There Be New Species?
Scientists explained that isolated places like this often act as natural laboratories. With little outside interference, unique plants, fungi, and insects can evolve, which means every branch or leaf here could represent something science hasn’t recorded yet. It’s quite a thrilling possibility for future biological studies.
Media Buzz Around The Discovery
When news broke in May, Chinese media emphasized the discovery’s ancient, untouched forest and towering trees. Global outlets followed, calling it a “primeval forest” and drawing comparisons to lost worlds from literature and myth.
The Expedition Leader Speaks
Members of the Guangxi 702 team described the descent as otherworldly. Some compared the green floor to entering a hidden valley; others noted how silence pressed in until broken by birdsong. Their firsthand impressions captured both the danger and the wonder of discovery.
Hidden Caves And Passages
Explorers suspect this sinkhole connects to underground rivers and vast cave networks stretching miles beneath Guangxi. Such passages often shelter rare bats, fish, and several other invertebrates. Mapping them could reveal even more species adapted to darkness.
30th giant karst sinkhole discovered in south China's Guangxi by CGTN
Comparison With Other Tiankengs
China holds dozens of giant sinkholes, many with vegetation like the lush Dashiwei Tiankeng nearby, famous for its size and diverse forests. Yet this 2022 discovery stands out for its exceptionally preserved, ancient-like ecosystem that’s ecologically remarkable.
China's BIGGEST Sink Hole in 4K! by NAEEM EXPLORER
Global Reactions
News of the Guangxi sinkhole spread worldwide. George Veni, director of the US National Cave and Karst Research Institute, called China’s karst “visually spectacular, with enormous sinkholes and giant cave entrances”. He also noted such sites often hide species never previously documented by science.
TVSA Presents: Exploring Karst with Dr. George Veni by TVSA Education
Challenges Of Exploration
Exploring such sinkholes isn’t for the faint-hearted. Vertical drops stretch hundreds of feet, gear failures could be fatal, and conditions inside are unpredictable. Researchers also tread lightly to avoid damaging delicate fungi and soil layers that may have remained undisturbed for centuries.
Protecting The Sinkhole
Chinese conservationists have raised concerns that publicity could invite uncontrolled tourism. Tiankeng ecosystems are fragile—too many visitors could trample plants or alter the microclimate. Officials are considering a protective status to ensure this natural wonder is studied carefully but shielded from exploitation.
Chinese sinkholes unearth 'new wonders' | BBC News by BBC News
What Comes Next For Science
The Guangxi sinkhole, only partly explored as of 2022, is slated for further expeditions to map underground passages, collect soil and water samples, and analyze plant DNA, according to expedition reports. Each survey could help make this isolated ecosystem a key site for biodiversity research.
Study on vegetation at newly found karst sinkhole in Guangxi complete by CGTN
Why Scientists Care Deeply
Beyond curiosity, these ecosystems may hold untapped value. Plants in isolated habitats sometimes develop unique compounds—potential medicines waiting to be studied. Preserved genetic diversity can also teach scientists how species survived climate shifts, offering vital lessons for conservation in today’s changing world.
A Glimpse Into Earth’s Past
The forest floor is a living time capsule. Plants thriving here resemble those that flourished millions of years ago, before human cities and highways. By preserving genetic lines long vanished from the surrounding land, this sinkhole provides scientists a rare view into prehistoric Earth.
Chinese sinkholes unearth 'new wonders' | BBC News by BBC News
