In Mandarin Chinese, the word "tiankeng" directly translates as "heavenly pit" or "sky hole," a phenomenon known as a sinkhole in English. Sinkholes are dramatic geological occurrences caused by ...

It is located in China’s southwestern karst landscape and is now one of 30 such holes known as “tiankeng” – which translates as “heavenly pits” – in the region. The reason for the ...

The Xiaozhai Tiankeng sinkhole is vast. Probably formed centuries ago by collapsing caves and underground rivers, teams of explorers have sought to understand its many mysteries for years.