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Scientists find ancient forest hidden in newly discovered 192-metre-deep sinkhole in southern China
- The sinkhole contained trees that were 40 metres tall and thick “shoulder-height” vegetation
- It was discovered using satellite imagery and explored in early May in an expedition
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It is not every day that scientists stumble on to a beautifully preserved ancient forest nestled deep inside a sinkhole the size of a large residential complex.
Such a discovery was made in a stunning karst mountain range in Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region in south China when a team of explorers entered the 192-metre-deep sinkhole on May 6 and found a forest that featured trees that were almost 40-metre tall.
The sinkhole also featured other plants that were “shoulder-height”, said Chen Lixin, the leader of the expedition team, in an interview with Xinhua, China’s state-owned wire service. Videos of the exploration reveal a dense plush forest.
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Chen added that he would not be surprised if undiscovered plant and wildlife species lived in the sinkhole.
Besides being deep, the sinkhole is 306 metres long and 150 metres wide, meaning it qualifies as a large sinkhole.
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