Scientists stumble over giant hole in the ground

The 300-meter-deep (1,000-feet-deep) barrel-shaped hole was found hidden in dense bamboo forest in Wulong county near southwestern Chongqing municipality, the Xinhua news agency reported.

At the bottom of the hole, the researchers found two water-eroded caves, extending for a total of 18 kilometers (11.3 miles), the report said.

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Shao Jianhua, a local official, said the county planned to develop the hole into a major tourist attraction once the scientists had left.

The hole is classified as a doline, or sinkhole, which is a geological feature developing when limestone or a similar rock type is dissolved by groundwater and collapses.