Best Sinkhole

The Great Blue Hole is a dramatic marine sinkhole located off the coast of Belize. Formed within a collapsed limestone cave system, it’s one of the world's most notable underwater geological features. Its significant depth – reaching over 125 meters – attracts experienced scuba divers and researcher...

A significant sinkhole formed in Guatemala City during 2010 following Tropical Storm Agatha’s heavy rains. The collapse involved a dramatic breach of approximately 18 meters, consuming a factory building. This event highlighted underlying urban infrastructure vulnerabilities and poses risks to areas...

The Darvaza Gas Crater, also known as “Door to Hell,” is a large sinkhole formed in the Karakum Desert of Turkmenistan. It originated from a Soviet-era gas field collapse in 1971. To prevent the release of flammable natural gas, authorities ignited the crater, and it has burned continuously ever sin...

The Humboldt Sinkhole, or Sima Humboldt, is a substantial natural depression formed by erosion within Venezuela’s Sarisarinama National Park. This sandstone sinkhole, part of a larger tepui-sinkhole system, features dramatically steep walls and supports a unique, isolated environment. It's significa...

The Blue Hole of Dahab is a unique marine sinkhole located off Egypt’s Red Sea coast. Formed by collapsed limestone, it presents significant diving challenges due to rapidly changing depths and currents. Experienced scuba divers seeking extreme conditions and challenging underwater navigation are dr...

A significant sinkhole opened in Guatemala City during 2007. The collapse, resulting from deteriorating sewer infrastructure and porous pumice bedrock, created a dramatic chasm. This event tragically led to fatalities and substantial property damage. It is of interest to geologists studying urban su...

The 2014 National Corvette Museum sinkhole was a dramatic event involving the collapse of a large hole beneath the museum’s showroom in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Eight Corvettes, including several rare and historically significant models from 2014, fell into the void. The incident garnered internatio...

Sima Martel, also known as the Martel Pit, is a substantial sandstone sinkhole located within the Sarisarinama Tepui in Venezuela. This unique geological feature represents one of the largest tepui-sinkholes globally. Its extreme isolation has fostered a distinct ecosystem supporting endemic plant a...

Dean’s Blue Hole is a remarkable limestone sinkhole located on Long Island in the Bahamas. It represents the world's deepest known underwater cavity, reaching approximately 202 meters (663 feet). The hole’s unique formation and extreme depth make it a significant geological feature and a globally re...

Hoyo Negro is a large underwater sinkhole located near Tulum, Quintana Roo, Mexico. It’s notable for containing the remarkably well-preserved remains of ‘Naia,’ a young woman dating back approximately 13,000 years. The discovery provides crucial insights into early human migration patterns and life...

Red Lake (Crveno Jezero) is a deep sinkhole in Croatia formed by karst processes. Its notable depth, exceeding 245 meters, makes it one of Europe’s deepest known sinkholes. The distinctive red cliffs are due to mineral-rich water depositing over time. Geologists and researchers studying karst format...

The Bayou Corne sinkhole is a significant geological feature located near Port Fourchon, Louisiana. It formed in 2012 due to the collapse of a large salt dome cavern, triggered by subsurface hydrocarbon extraction activities. The resulting sinkhole displaced residents and created an extensive body o...

The Sacred Cenote is a sinkhole located near Chichen Itza in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. This natural depression was an important Maya ritual site used for offerings and, tragically, human sacrifice. Archaeological excavations initiated by Edward Herbert Thompson unearthed significant artifacts incl...

Occurring in Russia in 1986, the Berezniki Sinkhole No. 1 developed due to flooding in a potash mine, creating a massive, ongoing subsidence zone that threatens the local city.

Boesmansgat (Bushman's Hole) is a freshwater sinkhole in South Africa's Northern Cape, approximately 283 m deep, and the site of several fatal technical diving incidents.

Cenote Suytun, near Valladolid, Yucatán, Mexico, is a semi-open cenote featuring a stone walkway extending to a circular platform at the centre of its water-filled chamber.

Fengshan Tiankeng is a karst sinkhole in Fengshan County, Guangxi, China, part of the Leye-Fengshan UNESCO Global Geopark, underpinned by extensive cave networks.

Modro Jezero, or Blue Lake, is a karst sinkhole in Imotski, Croatia, known for its dramatically fluctuating water levels that occasionally cause the lake to dry up.

A massive sinkhole collapsed in Fukuoka, Japan, in 2016, swallowing a five-lane intersection near a subway construction site but miraculously causing no serious injuries.

El Zacatón, in Tamaulipas, Mexico, is the world's deepest known fully water-filled sinkhole at about 339 m, fully mapped in 2007 by DEPTHX, a NASA-funded autonomous underwater robot.

Cenote Maravilla is a deep, partially collapsed sinkhole in Mexico's Yucatan state, notable for its spectacular sunbeams that pierce through the surface opening.

Dragon Hole (Yongle Blue Hole), near China's Paracel Islands in the South China Sea, was surveyed in 2016 as the world's deepest known marine blue hole at about 300 m.

Cenote X'Keken (Dzitnup), near Valladolid, Yucatán, Mexico, is a cave cenote celebrated for a shaft of sunlight entering through an opening in its stalactite-hung ceiling.

Located in Guangxi, China, the Dashiwei Tiankeng is a massive sinkhole measuring over 600 meters wide, notable for containing a unique, isolated forest ecosystem at its base.

The 2007 Berezniki Sinkhole No. 2 is a giant collapse feature in Russia caused by the dissolution of underground potash salts by aggressive brines infiltrating the mine.

Miao Room (Miao Keng) is one of China's largest tiankengs by volume, located in Chongqing municipality, with near-vertical limestone walls descending several hundred metres.

Cenote Saamal is a large, open-air sinkhole situated within the Hacienda Selva Maya eco-park in Mexico, distinguished by a towering waterfall cascading into it.

Cenote Samula, near Valladolid, Yucatán, Mexico, is a cave cenote known for long tree roots descending from the surface through the limestone ceiling down into the water.

The Xiaozhai Tiankeng in Chongqing, China, is the world's deepest sinkhole, measuring 662 meters deep and formed by the collapse of a massive subterranean river cave system.