CHINA'S FORESTS OF ROCK - GIANT ARCHES AND PILLARS MADE BY COLLAPSED SUPERCAVES AND THE ACTION OF WATER



Moon Hill, formed from the remains of a collapsed cave 

Forests of rock: Awe-inspiring images reveal the towering arches and pillars of limestone which dominate ancient lands of China 

Jaw-dropping limestone 'karsts' soar hundreds of feet into the air across a vast region of southern China

Arches, spires and pillars were formed over 270million years and conceal some of the world's largest caves below

Landscape is being documented in unprecedented detail by a British-led team of cavers and explorers

Rock sculpted by water

Hewn ruthlessly from the earth by water over 270million years, these stone structures are a testament to the power of the natural world. 

 

The pillars, arches and columns rise hundred of feet into the air over a vast region of southern China, striking awe into observers who have flocked to the area for thousands of years. 

 

Known as karsts, the limestone structures - captured in these images for National Geographic Magazine - are created when water forces fissures, sinkholes, cracks and caverns into the soft rock, leaving only a series of monoliths above ground.

 

China's Stone Forest is one of the largest, with huge arches which once belonged to cave systems but now protrude awkwardly above the lush green hills around.  Covering an estimated half a million square kilometres, south China's is one of the largest and most significant in the world.

 

While limestone structures are common, only in a humid, tropical environment can there be enough movement of water to create such dramatic change, and form structures which have earned the South China Karst recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

 

But just as with an iceberg, what can be seen in these photographs is only the tip. The flowing water has not only carved up the landscape above the ground, but has also transformed it below. 

 

South China is home to some of the largest caves in the world, which even now are still being mapped and explored by researchers from around the world.  Heading the charge is a team led by Andy Eavis, the chairman of the British Caving Association who has been traveling to China for more than 30 years.

 

Read more and see additional National Geographic pictures

And see also a diagram of China's Supercaves

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2673410/Forests-rock-Awe-inspiring-images-reveal-towering-arches-pillars-limestone-dominate-ancient-lands-China.html

 

National Geographic - China Supercaves

Tour the Miao Room’s 3-D model created from the laser scan.

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/china-caves/supercaves/

 

RELATED

 

MAGICAL IMAGES INSIDE THE WORLD'S BIGGEST CAVE

This hidden world in Vietnam has its own river and rainforest

http://ottersandsciencenews.blogspot.ca/2014/06/magical-images-inside-worlds-biggest.html

 

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