By MOOK Scenic Spots Home Jun(e), compiled and reported
A sinkhole is a remarkable space and form characterized by its immense volume, surrounded by steep and enclosed rock walls, with a deep, well-like or barrel-like profile. These unique features occur in soluble rock layers of particularly great thickness and with especially deep groundwater levels, with an average width and depth both exceeding 100 meters. The bottom is connected to underground rivers or shows evidence of past subterranean waterways. This type of giant karst landform is classified by scale: those with depths and widths between 100 to 300 meters are standard sinkholes; those between 300 to 500 meters are large sinkholes, with about 16 worldwide, nine of which are in China; and those over 500 meters are super sinkholes. There are five such super sinkholes globally, three of which are in China — Chongqing’s Xiaozhai Tiankeng, Guangxi’s Leye Dashiwei Tiankeng, and Guangxi’s Bama Hualong Tiankeng.
The world’s largest – Chongqing’s Xiaozhai Tiankeng (Image source / Wikipedia)
1. China – Chongqing Xiaozhai Tiankeng
Chongqing’s Xiaozhai Tiankeng reaches a depth of 662 meters, making it the world’s largest sinkhole. It is also a living fossil of the formation of the Yangtze River’s Three Gorges and serves as an important example of the Earth's Quaternary evolutionary history.
The Tianjingxia Rift and Xiaozhai Tiankeng are both located within the Tiankeng and Rift Scenic Area in Xiaozhai Township (Image source / Wikipedia)
2. China – Guangxi Leye Dashiwei Tiankeng
Guangxi’s Dashiwei Tiankeng is 613 meters deep, covers an area of nearly 17 hectares, and has a forested bottom spanning 10.5 hectares. Visitors can admire ever-changing stunning views from the rim throughout the seasons.
3. Croatia – Crveno Jezero (Red Lake)
Croatia’s Red Lake is 530 meters deep, with the lake itself being 280 to 290 meters deep. The surrounding rock walls contain high levels of iron oxide, giving the water a coffee-like hue with a reddish tint, hence the name Red Lake.
Croatia’s Red Lake (Image source / Wikipedia)
Croatia’s Red Lake (Image source / Wikipedia)
4. Papua New Guinea – Minye Tiankeng
Located on New Britain Island in Papua New Guinea, this natural site is filled with volcanoes and limestone mountains. The Minye Tiankeng reaches a depth of 510 meters. It was formed through long-term erosion by underground rivers and heavy rainfall, leading to the collapse of surface limestone layers.
5. China – Guangxi Bama Hualong Tiankeng
The Hualong Tiankeng is 509 meters deep and is located in Bama County, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
China is home to numerous spectacular sinkhole wonders. Currently, there are about 80 confirmed sinkholes worldwide, with over 50 located in China, the vast majority situated in the karst regions of the south. Each super sinkhole plunges deeper than the height of Taipei 101, showcasing the astonishing power of nature. These breathtaking landforms are wonders worth visiting in a lifetime.
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