A Massive Cluster of 19 Tiankengs Discovered in Guangxi Southwest China

Guangxi836Nov 15, 2019

In November 2019, a science expedition of multinational geologists discovered a new world-class cluster of Tiankengs (an area of naturally formed pits) in Napo County, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China Geology Survey of the Ministry of Natural Resources announced on Friday.

In November 2019, a science expedition of multinational geologists discovered a new world-class cluster of Tiankengs (an area of naturally formed pits) in Napo County, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China Geology Survey of the Ministry of Natural Resources announced on Friday.

The newly found Tiankeng cluster consists of 19 giant karst sinkholes mainly scattered in Chengxiang Township and Longhe Township of Napo County. It is claimed as the second-largest Tiankeng group in the world, which only ranks after the Dashiwei Tiankeng group in Leye of Guangxi.

Tiankeng are actually huge geological sinkholes or dolines with vertical walls, at least 100m deep and 100m wide, formed by limestone dissolving in the karst topography. They could be found in a few countries like Mexico and Papua New Guinea, while China houses the most and largest ones. Thus Tiankeng, translated from Chinese approximately as "heavenly pits", is more of a term to define the unique Chinese karst wonder.

Most of the newly discovered sinkholes boast a volume of over 1 million cubic meters, and the surrounding original vegetation is still well preserved and out of touches of human activities. At bottom of the karst pits grow some rare plant species, such as toddy palm and manglietia aromatic.

Open to daylight, the giant sinkholes are interconnected through an underground river and a big cave complex where no one had set foot inside before. And now the Tiankengs are still unavailable for tourists' glimpse, while one could explore other incredible karst pits in Chongqing, named Wulong Tiankeng and Xiaozhai Tiankeng.