Where is the most beautiful karst in China?

In China

There is a kind of landscape

It not only has a variety of shapes

It can also realize the space conversion between the surface and underground

Among them

There is a Guilin landscape printed on the RMB

( Please watch horizontally , Guilin landscape in Guangxi, photographer @黄一骏)

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There is a collapsed cenote that looks like the entrance to another world.

( Please watch horizontally , Xiaozhai Tiankeng in Fengjie, Chongqing, looks like a heart from a bird's eye view, photographer @李相昀)

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There are many dams embedded in the valley

( Please watch horizontally , Huanglong travertine pool in Sichuan after snow, photographer @朱金华)

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There are also super caves hidden under the mountains.

( Please watch in horizontal screen , the cave hall in Guizhou, China - Ziyunmiao Hall, it is the largest natural cave hall in the world, consisting of two cave halls and a large corridor. People call this double dome structure "hump hall", map @ Bai Rong/Planet Research Institute)

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Even the natural arch bridge built on the plateau

( Please watch horizontally , the natural bridge of Zizhu Mountain in Tibet, photographer @王炳瑞)

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Each one is completely different

This is karst landform.

China has the world's

The largest scale and most diverse forms

The best preserved karst landform

Seven of them are karst in southern China.

It is also listed as a World Natural Heritage

( Please watch horizontally , the distribution map of China's major karst landscapes; China's karst world natural heritage sites are Guizhou Libo, Guizhou Shibing, Chongqing Wulong, Jinfoshan, Guangxi Guilin, Guangxi Huanjiang, Yunnan Shilin Karst ; map by @Chen Zhihao & Liu Zhipeng/Planet Research Institute)

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Why is China's karst so widely distributed?

Why is it so changeable?

Maybe only by going deep into it

To find the answer

01

Rock Forest

first

The story begins with this

Exposed boulder jungle

It is gray overall

Looks uneven and full of cracks

( Please watch in horizontal mode , Yunnan Stone Forest in the early morning, photographer @左夕明)

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In fact, this is a kind of

Carbonate rock

It consists of carbonate minerals

and calcium skeletons of marine organisms

After a long period of deposition

The earliest formation can be traced back hundreds of millions of years

During the movement of the earth's crust

They rise from the seabed

After experiencing the vicissitudes of life, the vast ocean has become land

(Schematic diagram of the deposition, uplift and dissolution process of carbonate rocks; carbonate rocks are the most soluble rocks, mainly composed of limestone, dolomite, etc., map by @刘志鹏/Planetary Research Institute)

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China's carbonate rocks are extremely extensive.

The total area is about 3.44 million square kilometers

Of which about 910,000 square kilometers are exposed

Almost every province has distribution

The most concentrated area is in the southwest

(The distribution range of carbonate rocks in China is shown in Figure 1, which does not include carbonate rocks exposed on the seabed and islands. Map by @陈志浩/Planetary Research Institute)

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But if you want to become a karst landform

Rocks alone are not enough

Water is also needed

Compared to other types of rocks

Carbonate rocks are rocks that can be dissolved, i.e. soluble rocks.

When the two meet, a wonderful chemical reaction will occur

The hard rock was dissolved and flowed away with the water.

This is karstification

(Schematic diagram of carbonate rock dissolution process, drawn by @柏蓉/Planetary Research Institute)

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The landforms formed by this dominant action

Also known as karst landform

Right now

Karst landform

In this way

Karst is born everywhere

Rock Forest is the first to appear

A closer look

Special dissolution process

Let these boulders themselves have various shapes

(Shilin Scenic Area, Shilin County, Yunnan, photographer @李睿宁)

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If you look from a distance, it looks like a formation of swords

This is Shilin

In China

Lunan Stone Forest in Yunnan

The largest area, the most comprehensive evolution, and the richest shapes

( Please watch in horizontal mode , Lunan Stone Forest, photographer @泊云)

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Such a dense stone forest

How is it formed?

We can see

Water flows along nearly vertical rock fissures

Dissolve downward and cut the rock mass

Underneath the accumulated soil, erosion is also going on.

Even more intense due to microbial effects

that's all

Both above and below ground

When the soil is finally washed away

The complete group of stone columns is exposed

This formed what we see today

stone forest

(The above rock cracks are joints; the formation process of the stone forest is schematic, map by Liu Zhipeng/Planetary Research Institute)

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When the stone forest is mixed with iron oxide and other substances

It will also be dyed red

Become a unique red stone forest

(Red Stone Forest in Youyang, Chongqing, photographer @刘琳)

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Stone forests are distributed in many areas of China.

Such as Wansheng Stone Forest in Chongqing and Sinan Stone Forest in Guizhou

Guizhou Tianxingqiao Stone Forest and Fujian Linyin Stone Forest

Xingwen Stone Forest in Sichuan, Xian'an Stone Forest in Hainan, etc.

In some areas with higher altitudes

You can also see the figure of Shilin

There is a cold wind

Although there is less rainfall

But the melting water of ice and snow brushes over the rocks

The plateau stone forest with jagged edges

(Zhecha Stone Forest in Gannan, photographer @拉玛蔡丹)

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In the vast carbonate rock land

Water also creates

A more massive "rock forest"

Peak clusters and peak forests

Especially in hot and humid climates

In the south, where the carbonate rock layer is deep

Looking around, surrounded by mountains

( Please watch in horizontal mode , Guilin from the perspective of an airplane, photographer @笨小航)

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There is plenty of rainfall here

Carbonate formations are often strongly dissolved

Initially eroded into a funnel

Later it gradually expanded into a depression

Then divide the mountain into peaks

As water flows converge, the water network develops

Surface water erosion is more intense

Many relatively scattered and independent peaks were born.

(There is still controversy about the evolution of this type of peak forest landform. Some studies believe that it has a certain evolutionary process, while others believe that the two are not the products of different stages, but different developmental shapes at the same time. The figure below is a schematic diagram of the evolution of peak clusters and peak forests. Map by @刘志鹏/星球研究院)

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Peak cluster base connected

Looking into the distance

Thousands of peaks and blades, magnificent

( Please watch in horizontal mode , peaks in Dushan County, Guizhou Province, photographer @酷鸟魏建)

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The peaks and forests are relatively independent and scattered.

There are many flat areas at the foot of the mountain.

Pastoral scenery

( Please watch in horizontal mode , Luoping Peak Forest, Yunnan, photographer @朱聪)

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In fact, peak clusters and peak forests are not all the same.

According to the different lithology and geological structure of carbonate rocks

The peak shapes will also vary greatly

In Lichuan, Hubei

The limestone that makes up the karst landform

High mud content

Mountains are more susceptible to erosion

It is shaped like a low bun.

(Nanping Water Village in Lichuan, photographer @文林)

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In Shibing, Guizhou

The main body of the mountain is made of hard and resistant dolomite.

Beyond Karst

Most mountains collapse due to gravity due to rock cracks.

Thus forming a thick and majestic columnar stone peak

Shi Bing himself also

Selected as a "World Natural Heritage"

Known as "the most beautiful dolomite karst in the world"

(Yuntai Mountain, Shibing County, Guizhou, photographer @磨桂宾)

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Among the peaks

The most common ones we see are cone and tower shapes

They are on both sides of the Li River in Guilin

"The river is like a green silk belt, and the mountains are like jade bamboo baskets."

(The poem comes from Han Yu's "Sending Doctor Yan of Guizhou with the Chinese Character Nan" in the Tang Dynasty; Lijiang Peaks and Forests in Xingping Ancient Town, Yangshuo County, Guilin, photographer @陈小羊)

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In Xingyi Wanfenglin

Mountains and rapeseed flowers complement each other

(Wanfenglin, Xingyi, Guizhou, photographer @焦潇翔)

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As the mountains recede

Sometimes there are scattered peaks on the plain.

Corresponding to the peaks in the distance

(Peak forest in Daxin County, Chongzuo, Guangxi, photographer @酷鸟魏建)

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But the lonely peak is not the end

As early as the water meanders and shuttles

Another karst mountain and river has been formed underground

02

Underground Mountains and Rivers

Beneath the Surface

The water quietly gathers

Go underground through the cracks in the rocks

Continuously extending and expanding

On the surface

We may just see

Sinkholes formed by water erosion

Not even enough for one person to enter

But underground

Small streams have gathered into a river

( Please watch horizontally , Sanmenhai Underground River in Guangxi, photographer @Yu Yongle)

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Disu Underground River in Du'an, Guangxi

It is the largest underground river system known in China.

Its total length is 241 kilometers

It is twice as long as Shanghai's Huangpu River.

More than 1,500 mm of rainfall per year

Bring it enough water

The peak flow rate once reached 500 cubic meters per second

This is equivalent to one minute

15 standard swimming pools of water poured out

With such a large amount of traffic, it is hard to find any traces on the surface

(The total length of the Disu underground river includes the main stream and tributaries. There are often skylights in the underground river channels that connect to the surface. The figure below is a comparison of the total lengths of China's major underground rivers. Map by @柏蓉/星球研究院)

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There are more than 3,500 known underground rivers in China.

The total length of underground rivers in Guangxi alone exceeds 13,000 kilometers.

As long as two Yangtze Rivers

They appear and disappear

Often connected to surface river systems

(Swallow Cave in Huishui County, Qiannan Buyi and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou Province. The picture below shows a river flowing out of the cave. Photographer: @酷鸟魏建)

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When the underground river is stable in the crust

Continuously dissolving and scouring the carbonate layer

Caves were born one after another.

Some caves

Most of the tunnel is submerged in water.

It is a water cave

The boat sails in the water, like a dream

(Ziyun Miao Hall Underground River in Anshun, Guizhou; Warm reminder: The cave environment is complex, please do not explore the cave without the company of professionals; Photographer @周元杰)

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There are also some caves

No entry for non-diving

(Bailong Cave Karst Pond in Nanning, Guangxi, photographer @周元杰)

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However, many times

The caves we see are often out of water.

This is the dry cave.

This is because every time the earth's crust rises dramatically

The tunnel also rose and left the groundwater level.

The flowing water continues to erode downward due to gravity.

Until the lifting stops

A new layer of tunnel is formed in the horizontal direction

Cavernous Layers

The overall length is greatly increased

Therefore, many large cave systems

Often has multiple layers of tunnels

It then became a super-long cave beyond people's imagination.

(Sketch of the formation process of multi-layer caves, drawn by @柏蓉/Planetary Research Institute)

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Inside the cave system

There are often tunnels between each layer.

Inclined tunnels or vertical shafts

It looks unfathomable

(The vertical shaft of Longtan Cave in Qingzhen, Guizhou, photographer @周元杰)

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But cavers can only go through the dark shaft

To reach deeper caves

The deepest shaft in China

It is the Qikeng Cave in the Tianxing Cave system in Chongqing.

Up to 1020 meters deep

It takes cavers several days and nights to explore

Overcoming cold and darkness

To reach the lowest point of the shaft

(The vertical shaft of the steam pit in Wulong, Chongqing, photographer @赵揭宇; tagged @刘志鹏/星球研究院)

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The longest cave in China and even in Asia is

Shuanghe Cave, Suiyang

Length of caves discovered by 2023

It reached an astonishing 409.9 kilometers

This number will be refreshed in 2024.

Reached 437.1 km

Equivalent to the straight-line distance from Guiyang to Nanning

(Comparison of super cave lengths, drawn by @柏蓉/Planetary Research Institute)

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When we look through the strata

It can be found

3 main cave development layers

The cave is 912 meters deep

115 holes

Together they form this huge Shuanghe Cave Group.

(The above data comes from the latest survey results of Shuanghe Cave in 2024; the view that Shuanghe Cave has 3-5 layers is still controversial. The picture below is Longtanzi Water Cave in the Shuanghe Cave Group in Suiyang, photographer @周元杰)

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The second longest cave in China is Wulong Sanwang Cave

The third longest cave in China is Tenglong Cave in Hubei

( Please watch in horizontal mode , Tenglong Cave in Lichuan, photographer @文林)

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Guizhou, Chongqing, Hubei, Guangxi, Hunan

Almost all the super long caves in China

But China's karst caves are more than that

In Benxi, Liaoning

The thousand-meter-long underground river created a spectacular cave

Shihua Cave in Beijing

Although the total length is less than 6 kilometers, it has 8 layers of cave systems.

Chanjiayan in Hanzhong, Shaanxi

The cave system is also more developed than expected.

( Please watch in horizontal mode , the water outlet caves at the lower and upper levels of the Chanjiayan Tiankeng in Hanzhong, Shaanxi, photographer @赵揭宇)

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From South to North

Complex and three-dimensional cave system

Distribution

(Distribution diagram of major karst caves in China, drawn by @陈志浩/Planetary Research Institute)

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Besides its huge size

There are also rocks of various shapes inside the cave.

Equally fascinating

This is the various carbonate deposits

As opposed to solid rock being dissolved

This deposition is from carbonates dissolved in water

Sedimentation and return to solid state

This is like

A kettle that boils tap water for a long time will accumulate white scale

It can be removed with an acidic solution such as vinegar

(Sketch of cave carbonate sedimentary environment, drawn by Liu Zhipeng/Planetary Research Institute)

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then

Water dripping from the cave ceiling

This formed stalactites hanging from the top of the cave.

Around the stalactites

Sometimes you can see a group of long, thin tubular deposits.

This is the goose tube, which is named after its goose feather shape.

It is the basis for the formation of stalactites

(In the Thorn Pig Cave in Qianxi County, Guizhou Province, stone pillars, stalactites, goose tubes and stalagmites are densely distributed. Photographer @赵揭宇)

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When excess water from the cave ceiling drips onto the ground

Stalagmites rising from the ground

Some are as strong as a bell

(Yanhui Cave, Pingtang County, Guizhou Province, photographer @周元杰)

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Some stalagmites can grow to tens of meters.

Equivalent to a high-rise building

(Pig Cave, Qianxi County, Guizhou, photographer @赵揭宇)

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If stalactites and stalagmites are connected

It became a stone pillar that stood tall and straight.

How high is the cave?

How high is the stone pillar?

(A cave in Daozhen Gelao and Miao Autonomous County, Zunyi City, Guizhou Province, photographer @李颖乐)

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In many large caves

We can also see

Water flows out from the cracks

The stone curtain formed

(Pig Cave, Qianxi County, Guizhou, photographer @赵揭宇)

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Even the stone dam shaped like a terrace

It flows along the slope from multiple streams on the cave wall.

Encountering obstacles

Day by day, reciprocating

(Bianshiba in Zunyi, Guizhou, photographer @赵揭宇)

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In addition, there are some uncommon forms

For example, cloud rocks formed in water

Almost transparent water

Make it look like a mirror world

(Cloud Stone in Jiulong Cave, Guizhou, photographer @赵揭宇)

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For example, marble-sized hole beads

If you cut it open

You will find that its core is actually gravel.

( Cave bead environment , cave bead in the cave, generally less than 3 cm in diameter, photographer @李颖乐&赵揭宇)

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and produced by non-gravity water

Centimeter-level or even millimeter-level stone flowers

(Stone flowers in different caves, photographer @赵揭宇)

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The caves they decorated

Like a magnificent underground palace

But the construction of this palace took more than a hundred years.

Tens of thousands of years, hundreds of thousands of years

( Please watch in horizontal mode , dense stone pillars in the Prickly Pig Cave in Qianxi County, Guizhou Province, photographer @赵揭宇)

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but

Not all calcium deposits are underground

When carbonate-rich springs and streams

Deposition on the surface

Travertine is formed

Sichuan Huanglong

(Huanglong Five-Colored Pond in Aba Prefecture, Sichuan, photographer @书是波)

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Yunnan Baishuitai

There are very typical travertine pools

They are layered and colorful.

(Baishuitai in Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan, photographer @胡佩瑜)

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In Jiuzhaigou

Travertine affects lake water color

Wrapped in branches and stones that sank to the bottom of the lake

It also creates the beautiful scenery here.

(Wuhuahai in Jiuzhaigou, Sichuan, photographer @Qiu Daocen)

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Less well known is

Due to the active structure, numerous faults and many springs

In addition, carbonate strata are widely distributed

There are also a lot of travertine on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

(Distribution diagram of travertine sites in China; travertine is mainly divided into atmospheric travertine and thermal travertine, map by @陈志浩/Planetary Research Institute)

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that's all

From underground rivers to super long caves

The unique underground mountain and river slowly unfolds

But karst will eventually return to the surface

Like travertine

Stunning the world again

03

Rediscovering the Earth

As the underground world expands

Some rock formations may collapse due to insufficient support

But in the karst world

Collapse is not a crisis but an opportunity

It can reconnect the underground to the surface

To know how it works

Let's go back inside the cave.

If the rocks keep collapsing and falling

Caves often form

The hall is several times wider than the average cave.

It is the cave hall

(The cave hall in the cave under the Chanjiayan Tiankeng in Hanzhong, Shaanxi, with a sky pot on the top, photographer @赵揭宇)

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In the cave hall

Occasionally, a huge pot-shaped groove can be seen.

This is when the cave is filled with water, which continuously dissolves the top

At the same time, the combined air exerts a huge pressure on the top

The sky pot on the top of the cave appeared due to the collapse of rocks due to gravity

Beneath the Karst Mountains

Many caves are hidden in it

For example, the Red Rose Hall in Leye, Guangxi

Rhino Cave Hall in Anlong, Guizhou

(Rhinoceros Cave, Anlong County, Guizhou, photographer @周元杰)

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The largest cave chamber discovered so far

Ziyunmiao Hall

It belongs to the Gebihe Cave System in Guizhou

It wasn’t until 2014 that its full appearance was revealed.

It has a volume of nearly 10.57 million cubic meters.

Enough to hold half of West Lake

It is currently the largest natural cave hall in the world.

(Please watch in horizontal mode, the gas-buzzing cave in Ziyun Miao Hall, and the cavers are rappelling from the skylight entrance; in addition, the whole picture of Miao Hall can be seen in a design drawing in this article; photographer @周元杰)

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As the weak zone at the top of the cave hall continues to collapse

It will get closer to the surface

Until a hole is opened

The long-lost sunlight shines into the dark cave

This light-transmitting opening at the top of the cave

Also known as skylight

( Please watch in horizontal mode , the steam cave hall of the Dashiwei Tiankeng group in Leye, Guangxi, with a skylight at the top, photographer @魏文俊)

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Skylights often appear in large numbers in underground river systems.

The famous one is the Jiudun Skylight Group in Duan

Sanmen Sea Skylight Group

Because the groundwater level here is high

Often appears in the form of a molten pool in the mountains

They look inconspicuous

But the underwater is connected in all directions

(Sanmenhai Skylight in Fengshan County, Hechi City, Guangxi, photographer @Huang Yongjia, tagged @Liu Zhipeng/Planet Research Institute)

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Continued and larger collapse

This will form a larger pit

This is the tiankeng

(Sketch of the formation process of tiankengs, mainly showing the formation process of collapse-type tiankengs, and another type of erosion-type tiankeng; map by Liu Zhipeng/Planetary Research Institute)

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The sinkhole is hidden among the mountains

The depth and plane width range from hundreds of meters to several hundred meters

Until the 21st century

The academic community officially regarded "tiankeng" as

Independent karst landforms

Since then, the tiankeng has gradually become well-known.

( Please watch in horizontal mode , Wude Tiankeng in Zhenxiong County, Zhaotong City, photographer @柴俊峰, tagged @刘志鹏/星球研究院)

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Xiaozhai Tiankeng in Fengjie, Chongqing

It is one of the earliest tiankengs discovered.

It is also the deepest tiankeng known in China.

The double-layer collapse pattern makes it

The maximum depth can reach 662 meters

Can turn China's tallest building

Shanghai Tower is included

( Please watch in horizontal mode , looking up at Xiaozhai Tiankeng, photographer @李琼)

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In Leye, Guangxi

Nearly 30 tiankengs are scattered among the peaks.

The Dashiwei Tiankeng Group

The number and density are rare in the world

Known as the " World Tiankeng Museum "

( Please watch in horizontal mode , Dashiwei Tiankeng in Leye, Guangxi, photographer @吴大伟)

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Among them, the largest one is Dashiwei Tiankeng.

The pit is 600 meters long from east to west and 420 meters wide from north to south.

Maximum depth: 613 meters

Second only to Xiaozhai Tiankeng

(Comparison of large tiankengs in China, drawn by @柏蓉/Planetary Research Institute)

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The most unexpected thing is

Tiankeng Group in Hanzhong, Shaanxi Province, at the southern foot of the Qinling Mountains

Although it was only officially announced in 2016

The number of tiankengs has reached 54.

It consists of four counties: Ningqiang, Nanzheng, Xixiang and Zhenba.

Second level tiankeng group composition

It is the largest tiankeng group in China with the highest latitude.

(Tianxuan cenote in Hanzhong, Shaanxi, surrounded by forests, photographer @极行远方的易川)

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Due to the limitations of natural conditions

Most of the tiankengs are distributed in the area south of Qinling Mountains.

(Distribution diagram of major tiankeng groups in China, drawn by @陈志浩/Planetary Research Institute)

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Beyond the sinkhole

If the cave collapses continuously

Only the remaining rocks are connected

Bridge-like

Natural bridges were created everywhere.

(Natural Bridge in Huishui County, Qiannan Prefecture, Guizhou Province, photographer @酷鸟魏建, tagged @刘志鹏/星球研究院)

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The karst region is widely distributed

Various natural bridges

It can interpret "bridges and flowing water"

(Xiangqiao Natural Bridge in Luzhai, Guangxi, photographer @李珩)

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Even at very short distances

Alternating with tiankeng

It is a masterpiece of nature.

(Hunan Guozao Tiankeng and Tiansheng Bridge, photographer @刘毅; tagged @刘志鹏/Planet Research Institute)

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Away from the rainy south

Weathering, freeze-thaw and other effects also come into play

The largest natural bridge in North China was created

Tiansheng Bridge in Ewu Township, Taihang Mountains

The span of this natural bridge is about 50 meters.

But the narrowest part of the bridge is less than 5 meters

(Taihang Mountain Ewu Township Tiansheng Bridge, photographer @李晓)

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Even the Zizhu Mountain on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

There is also the figure of the karst natural bridge

(Natural Bridge on Mount Zizhu in Qamdo, Tibet, photographer @何世海)

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Continuous cave collapse

In addition, the river is deep

It will also form a narrow valley

Some are as narrow as cracks in the ground

For example, Yunlong Ground Crack in Enshi

In the flood season, the waterfalls are like hanging silk threads.

(Yunlong Ground Crack in Enshi Grand Canyon, photographer @文林)

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Another example is the Tianjingxia fissure

The total length is about 37 kilometers, and the narrowest point is less than 2 meters.

Long and continuous, narrow and very deep

(Chongqing Fengjie County Tiankeng Difeng Scenic Area, photographer @李相昀)

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Some are relatively wide and become canyons.

Beipanjiang Grand Canyon, Enshi Grand Canyon, Wuling Mountain Grand Canyon

They are all examples in karst canyons.

( Please watch in horizontal mode , Enshi Grand Canyon Cliff Corridor, photographer @陈小林)

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The Three Gorges of the Yangtze River also originated from the karst canyon

Thick carbonate rocks are cut by the Yangtze River flowing upstream

There are many karst landforms such as peaks and caves around.

In the Three Gorges

The two banks of Qutang Gorge are the steepest

( Please watch in horizontal mode , Qutang Gorge Kuimen in Fengjie, Chongqing, photographer @蓝涛)

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So far

Karst is no longer trapped underground

The continuous collapse has brought it back to the surface.

Even more magnificent

But is that all there is to Karst?

04

end

The ever-changing landscape is still exerting its creativity

It is characterized by unique dissolution and sea erosion.

The coral reefs carved out of the rocks on the seashore

(Kenting Coral Reef, photographer @谢墨)

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It makes water come out from the ground

Transformed into a clear spring in the city

(Jinan Baotu Spring is a famous karst spring, photographer @Visual China)

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Karst has been a shelter for life since ancient times.

In its cave

There are not only remains of early humans

Ancient fossils are often found

(Giant panda metacarpal fossil, from the 23rd International Cave Science Expedition to Shuanghe Cave in Suiyang, Guizhou, photographer @赵揭宇, tagged @刘志鹏/Planetary Research Institute)

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Today, karst is still

Extremely rich biodiversity

Areas of high biological endemism

For example, the white-headed langur

Only distributed in karst rock mountains

It is a primate species unique to my country.

(Chongzuo, white-headed langur, photographer @徐征泽)

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We often think that the southern karst is the most exciting

But it shines in other areas too.

(Karst on the mountain near Tanggula Station on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, photographer @朱金华)

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Finally, no matter how karst changes

We all live here

(The "Lijiang Fishing Fire Festival" on the Yulong River in Yangshuo, Guilin, photographer @李翀)

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Build Here

Facing the challenges of the karst region

(Beipanjiang Bridge on Shuihong Railway, photographer @马梓涵)

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We will continue to explore this area from the surface to the underground

The ever-changing mountains and rivers

(Cave exploration, photographer @酷鸟魏建)

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This article was created by

Written by : Wang Logic

Image : Tian Xuanang

Design : Bai Rong & Liu Zhipeng

Map : Chen Zhihao

Proofreading : Li Chuyang & Yunwu Kongcheng & Tang Wenjun

Cover Photographer : Li Chong

Audit Expert

Zhou Wenlong, Guizhou Mountain Resources Research Institute

[Tips in this article] There are risks in the wild, so be careful when exploring caves!

References

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[2] Yuan Daoxian et al. Modern Karstology[M]. Science Press, 2016, 2.

[3] Lu Yaoru. Chinese Karst: A World of Strange Peaks and Caves[M]. Higher Education Press, 2010, 8.

[4] Wang Zhongmei et al., eds. Fundamentals of Karstology[M]. Wuhan: China University of Geosciences Press, 2022.

[5] Chen Wenjun. Study on underground river system in Disu Karst[J]. Chinese Karst, 1988.

[6] Zhu Xuewen. Discussion on some issues of peak forest karst in my country[J]. Chinese Karst, 2009.

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