In China, an ancient cave was discovered 180 meters underground

(Patria) - A huge ancient forest world was discovered 180 meters underground, in a large sinkhole in China, writes the Daily Mail.

A team of cave exploration scientists stumbled upon the underground mystery in China's "Geopark" in May last year.

The phenomenon is also known in China as "tiankeng" or "paradise pits".

The UNESCO Global Geopark Leye Fengshan, where the sinkhole was found, is located in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in southwestern China.

The Geopark is described on the UNESCO website as "primarily sedimentary with over 60% of Devonian to Permian carbonate rocks 3,000 meters thick."

It is known for being "an area of caves and the longest natural bridge in the world," reports Jutarnji list.

Researchers said the primitive forest could be home to previously unidentified plant and animal species, reports The Washington Post.

Giant sinkholes are not uncommon in such areas in China.

China's state-owned Xinhua news agency published an official report stating that the new discovery increased the number of sinkholes in the country to 30.

Zhang Yuanhai, a senior engineer at the Chinese Geological Institute, also told Xinhua that the site has a "well-preserved primitive forest at the bottom" and three caves in its walls.

They added that the sinkhole is 306 meters long, 150 meters wide, and 192 meters deep, with a volume exceeding 5 million cubic meters, meaning it can officially be categorized as a large sinkhole.

Chen Lixin, leader of the Guangxi 702 Cave Expedition Team, said the dense shadow of plants reaches the shoulder and added that the ancient trees growing at the bottom are almost 40 meters tall.

The cave expedition was completed by a team that descended by rope over 100 meters and "walked for several hours to reach the bottom of the pit."

The landscape in the Geopark is a karst area, meaning it consists of limestone. Sinkholes are usually formed by the dissolution of bedrock by groundwater and are common in the area.

However, the unique forest found at the bottom is unusual – it looks like something out of a fantasy movie.

The forest could have grown due to the shape of the hole, allowing enough light to enter while also being deep.