Just when we thought that 2020 and 2021 were the years of bizarre events and great despair, 2022 came rolling in and said “hold my beer.” In China, scientists uncovered what is essentially a Forrestal Narnia inside a massive sinkhole.
In May, Chinese speleologists (yes, that’s a gig) repelled into a massive sinkhole in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and discovered trees more than 100 feet tall growing in the sparse light. Seriously, a whole freaking civilization appears to be existing inside this environmental phenomenon, although we will surely find a way to eff it up and reduce it to rubble. What’s crazier is that these sinkholes are not uncommon in certain parts of China, particularly due to something called “karst topography.” We here at Mandatory are by no means scientists nor can we even pretend to be scientists, but apparently, this type of landscape is formed by the dissolution of bedrock.
But just when you thought a freaking massive sinkhole containing a rich, lush forest was pretty freaking epic, it turns out a whole host of species could be chilling down there. According to scientists, Karst caves can provide an oasis for life. Who knew that sinkholes carried such significance, right? It almost makes us wish that we’d discovered one of these bad boys in our garage, but then that might cause our homeowners insurance to go up. That’s why we have decided to come up with some fun and exciting things to do with the China sinkhole.
Cover Photo: VCG / Contributor (Getty Images)
China Sinkhole
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1. Shout Into It
There's something about hearing our voices echo that makes us super happy and giggly. So why not create the ultimate echo by screaming like a banshee into the sinkhole?
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2. Selfie Fail
People are obsessed with documenting every dumbass thing they do with a selfie. From folks on vacation trying to make the rest of us stuck at our crappy jobs feel bad to just the average Joe eating a sandwich, everything must be memorialized forever on social media. But sometimes people actually die in their narcissistic attempts to capture themselves in dangerous situations. So what better way to go out than by photographing yourself falling into a massive sinkhole?
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3. Get Rid of Loose Change
When we were kids, there was no greater fun than tossing a crap load of change into a wishing well and hoping that our dreams of being overlord of the school would come true. Well, how's about taking it up a notch and tossing some change down a massive sinkhole?
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4. Cosplay as Indiana Jones
If you grew up in the '80s and '90s, then you undoubtedly dreamed of traversing across the planet in a screwball action adventure like Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones. What better way to prove you got what it takes to be a grumpy archeologist with a penchant for punching Nazis than cosplaying as Indy in the sinkhole? Just don't try flying any planes anytime soon since we all know about his difficulty with landings.
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5. Cosplay as a Ghostbuster
Sure, cosplaying as Indiana Jones amid a major scientific discovery seems more apt. But there's no telling what type of paranormal activity might be down there in that sinkhole. So put on your favorite Ghostbusters attire and start investigating that weird sinkhole.
