Many rare species of plants and animals live in this geological formation.
The deepest “pit” in the world, which is a karst depression, is located in China, in the municipality of Chongqing, and it is called Tiankeng Xiaozhai or Xiaozhai Heavenly Pit in Chinese. What is its peculiarity IFLScience.
At Focus. Technology appeared its own Telegram channel. Subscribe to not miss the latest and exciting news from the world of science!
The deepest karst depression in the world, called Tiankeng Xiaozhai, was discovered back in 1994. Its diameter is 537 meters, and in depth it descends to a distance of 511 to 662 meters.
This depression has almost vertical walls and scientists estimate its volume at 120 million cubic meters. During heavy rains, you can sometimes see a waterfall that goes along the steep walls of the pit.
This unique natural depression in the ground appeared due to the fact that the underground river split the karst rock and carried it out. The Xiaozhai Heavenly Pit has a dual structure. Its upper part has a depth of approximately 320 meters, and the lower one – 342 meters.
Tiankeng Xiaozhai was formed above Difeng Cave, which was also created by a powerful underground river. This river can be seen deep in the pit, where it carries clear water through the inner cave systems.
Photo: Wikipedia
This river is 8.5 km long and originates in the underground gorge of Tianjing, and then emerges on the sheer cliff of the Migong River, where the underground water system forms a waterfall 46 meters high.
In the depths of the karst depression, scientists have discovered a unique and rare ecosystem, which consists of 1285 plant species, as well as many species of rare animals. For example, a rare species of the ginkgo tree grows here, as well as clouded leopards, of which there are less than 10,000 individuals in the wild.
Scientists believe that the karst basin was formed gradually over the past 128 thousand years, so it is relatively young compared to other similar geological formations in China.
In China, there are 50 of the 75 known karst depressions in the world. And they are the largest and deepest on the planet. All et and depressions in China are called tiankeng and they belong to a very specific group of geological structures.
In order for such a depression to be called a tiankeng, it must be at least 100 meters deep and in diameter, and an underground river must also flow inside it. The conditions necessary for the formation of tiankeng are very specific, so it is a very rare geological phenomenon. These structures also require heavy rain to form, which in turn helps form their underground rivers.
By the way, scientists use the term tianken to name similar karst depressions that are found in other regions of the Earth.
As for the interior of the earth, Focus already wrote that scientists told how planet core remains hot, as the Sun has been for billions of years. Our planet has a complex structure and its internal warmth has been preserved since its inception.
Focus already wrote that 2 years ago, scientists discovered mysterious geological passage under Panama. And it is located at a depth of about 100 km.
