Chinese scientists have discovered an ancient forest hidden inside a giant hole in the southern province of Guangxi, researchers said on Friday.
According to scholars, the site identified as a very well-preserved primitive forest may contain many species still unknown to science.
One of the people responsible for the discovery, Zhang Yuanhai, said in an interview with the Chinese news agency Xinhua that there are three large caves in a mountain near the city of Luoxi.
One-in-a-hole in China — Photo: Courtesy of Guangxi Expedition
One of the researchers, Chen Lixin, who led an expedition into one of the structures, a large sinkhole, said they found trees up to 40 meters high and densely vegetated.
The sinkhole is located near Ping’e village and is 306 meters long, 150 meters wide and 192 meters deep.
To closely examine the discovery, the expedition team traveled a distance of more than 100 meters and several hours on foot to reach the bottom of the well.
Such holes are known in Chinese as tiancheng (heavenly wells), Xinhua pointed out, and have special geological features typical of heavily eroded terrain.
moreover ChinaSimilar structures have been found in Mexico and Papua New Guinea.
