Best Sinkhole

Off Belize's coast, the Great Blue Hole is a marine sinkhole within Lighthouse Reef. Its near-circular opening marks a limestone cave system that developed when sea levels were lower and was later flooded as the ocean rose. Submerged cave formations preserve evidence of that earlier environment. The...

During 2010, a sudden ground collapse in Guatemala City produced a deep, roughly circular opening that swallowed a factory building. The hole was reported as approximately 18 meters wide, a measurement of its breadth rather than its depth. Heavy rainfall associated with Tropical Storm Agatha was ide...

Known as the Door to Hell, the Darvaza Gas Crater is a gas-fed depression in Turkmenistan's Karakum Desert. Flames burning within the pit have made it an unusual destination for visitors and a subject of scientific interest. Its defining feature is sustained combustion supplied by gas escaping from...

The 2007 Guatemala City ground collapse opened a deep chasm in an inhabited urban area, causing fatalities and substantial property damage. Investigations connected the event with underground erosion and deteriorating sewer infrastructure in ground containing volcanic pumice. Water moving through we...

On the summit of Venezuela's Sarisarinama tepui, Sima Humboldt forms a vast depression with steep rock walls and vegetation growing far below the surrounding plateau. It belongs to a group of sinkholes and caves developed in sandstone, a setting that distinguishes these formations from the limestone...

Just offshore near Dahab on Egypt's Red Sea coast, the Blue Hole forms a deep marine sinkhole surrounded by reef. Its defining feature for divers is the contrast between accessible shallow water around the rim and the much deeper interior. An underwater passage known as the Arch connects the hole wi...

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 called the Martel Pit, is a large sandstone sinkhole on the Sarisarinama tepui in southern Venezuela. Its steep-sided opening forms part of the same unusual geological setting as nearby Sima Humboldt. These pits occur in a table mountain made of sandstone, distinguishing them from...

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...

Beneath the area near Tulum in Quintana Roo, Mexico, Hoyo Negro is a submerged pit within an underwater cave system. It gained archaeological importance through the discovery of Naia, a young woman whose well-preserved remains date to roughly 13,000 years ago. The site preserves evidence from the en...

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...

Boesmansgat is a significant sinkhole located in South Africa’s Northern Cape region. It's notable for its considerable depth – reaching approximately 283 meters – and contains a substantial freshwater system within a flooded cave environment. The site presents challenges due to its depth and underw...

Cenote Suytun is a unique sinkhole located in Yucatán, Mexico. Its notable feature is a natural stone platform within a flooded cavern, formed by an underground collapse. The clear water and dramatic visual effect make it a popular destination for visitors seeking a memorable swimming experience. It...

Blue Lake, known in Croatian as Modro Jezero, is a karst lake in a deep sinkhole beside the town of Imotski in Croatia. Its water level varies substantially with rainfall, groundwater conditions, and the season, changing the lake's depth and accessible shoreline. In exceptionally dry periods it can...

The 2016 Fukuoka sinkhole was a large road collapse that opened at an intersection near Hakata Station in Fukuoka, Japan, during underground construction for an extension of the city's subway system. The cavity damaged utilities and disrupted traffic, but no serious injuries were reported. Crews fil...

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

El Zacatón is a water-filled sinkhole in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas and part of the Zacatón karst system. Its warm, mineral-rich water descends roughly 339 meters below the surface, making it one of the deepest known flooded sinkholes. In 2007, the NASA-funded DEPTHX autonomous robot explored a...

Dragon Hole, also known as the Yongle Blue Hole, is a large marine blue hole located in the Paracel Islands area of the South China Sea. It was surveyed in 2016 and measured at approximately 300 meters in depth, making it the deepest known marine blue hole at the time of its measurement. Blue holes...

Cenote X'Keken, also known as Dzitnup, is a partially enclosed underground sinkhole located near the city of Valladolid in Yucatán, Mexico. It is distinguished by a natural opening in its rock ceiling that allows a distinct shaft of sunlight to illuminate the interior. The walls of the cave are deco...

Dashiwei Tiankeng is a massive geological sinkhole located in Leye County, Guangxi, China. It measures over 600 meters in width and depth, making it one of the largest tiankengs, or giant dolines, in the world. The steep vertical limestone walls enclose a unique, isolated forest ecosystem at its bas...

Cenote Saamal is a large, open-air sinkhole located in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, situated within the Hacienda Selva Maya eco-park. It is distinguished by a waterfall that cascades from above into the natural pool below. Cenotes are natural sinkholes formed by the collapse of limestone bedrock, exp...

Cenote Samula is an enclosed, cave-like sinkhole located in the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico, near the city of Valladolid. It is distinguished by a striking natural feature where long, thick tree roots descend from the surface, piercing through the limestone ceiling to reach the fresh water below. Th...

Xiaozhai Tiankeng, located in Chongqing, China, is a massive collapse sinkhole known as a tiankeng. Measuring approximately 662 meters deep and 511 meters wide, it is recognized as one of the largest and deepest sinkholes in the world. The depression was formed by the continuous collapse of a subter...

Sima de las Cotorras is a large, cylindrical sinkhole located in the karst landscape of Chiapas, Mexico. The pit is inhabited by thousands of green parakeets that roost on its walls and exit in a spiraling flock each morning. At the bottom of the 140-meter-deep cavity, archaeologists have discovered...

The Winter Park sinkhole was a major geological collapse that occurred in Winter Park, Florida, on May 8, 1981. The event created a large crater that engulfed a public swimming pool, two local businesses, and a Porsche dealership. Because it formed in a developed urban area, it drew national attenti...

Cenote Tajma Ha is an underwater cave system and sinkhole located in Quintana Roo on Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula. It is a popular destination for scuba divers due to its extensive cavern zones and distinctive geological features. The site is known for its clear waters, allowing sunlight to create vis...

Cenote Jardín del Edén, also known as Ponderosa, is a large open-air limestone sinkhole in Quintana Roo, Mexico. Its clear freshwater, rock ledges, aquatic vegetation, and access to submerged passages make it a destination for swimming, snorkeling, and scuba diving. Divers use the site as an entranc...