461
The deepest sinkhole on the planet was discovered in Chongqing (PRC) back in 1994. It was named “Heavenly Pit”. The depth of the formation reaches 511-662 meters, and the cross-section – about 540 meters. The volume of the failure is more than 119 million cubic meters. During precipitation, impressive waterfalls rush down its walls.
The structure of the funnel revealed two separate “bowls” forming as if two layers, each over three hundred meters deep.
Within the “Heavenly Pit” researchers counted almost 1.3 thousand species of flora, forming a unique ecosystem. It is also possible to meet there and rare representatives of fauna, for example, the smoky leopard, of which there are no more than ten thousand on Earth today.
