The biggest sinkholes in the world

Sinkhole in Santa María Zacatepec
Sinkhole in Santa María Zacatepec Photo credit Hector Vivas / Getty Images
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Sinkholes are a wonder of geology, shocking the senses with their immense depth and creating some of the most unique natural environments on earth. Lakes, forests, caves, reefs, wild species, and more can be found in their depths. They’ve fascinated people for centuries and continue to attract tourists to remote spots around the world.

It can be tricky to differentiate a sinkhole from just a big cave, so using data from Largest.org, here are the biggest sinkholes in the world, ranked.

Qattara Depression

Location: Egypt
Depth: 436 feet deep, 84 miles wide
Often called the world’s largest sinkhole, not for its depth but its insane area, the Qattara Depression covers about 7,500 square miles of the desert in western Egypt. The average depth is about 200 feet, but its lowest point reaches 436 feet.

Dean’s Blue Hole

Location: The Bahamas
Depth: 663 feet deep, 115 feet wide
When a sinkhole falls in the ocean, it’s called a blue hole, and the one in the Bahamas is famous with tourists, not only for its size but also its inhabitants: tropical fish. Dean’s Blue Hole should be on every snorkeler’s bucket list.

The Grandfather

Location: Russia
Size: 780 feet deep, 1020 feet wide
Nicknamed “The Grandfather” by locals, this massive sinkhole opened up in Berezniki, Russia, has been opening for decades. A mine beneath the city of 150,000 has swallowed factories and other buildings, and in 2007 a major portion fell into the earth.

Crveno Jezero

Location: Croatia
Size: 804 feet deep, 2624 feet wide
Named the “red lake” in Croation, this 800-foot deep sinkhole gains its unique reddish color from iron oxides in the rock walls, creating a nice contrast to the eye-catching lake at the bottom of the pit.

Dragon Hole

Location: Paracel Islands, South China Sea
Size: 987 feet deep, 426 feet wide
The biggest blue hole in the world, Dragon Hole is 300 feet deeper than its nearest competition, Dean’s Blue Hole. It sits in a contested spot in the South China Sea, and it’s a beauty with its striking deep blue color.

Sima Humboldt

Location: Venezuela
Size: 1,148 feet deep, 1,155 feet wide
On top of Sarisariñama, one of Venezuela’s tepuis, or mesas, in the Guiana Highlands sits the gargantuan Sima Humboldt sinkhole. Both the top of the tepui and the bottom of the sinkhole are forested, and another huge sinkhole, Sima Martel, sits just a few thousand feet away on Sarisariñama.

Xiaozhai Tiankeng

Location: China
Size: 2,172 feet deep; 2,054 feet wide
Xiaozhai Tiankeng has long been famous in Chongqing, China, for its deep nested craters, which span over 2,000 feet across and another 2,000 feet deep. Recently researchers have been excitedly exploring an extensive cave system branching out from the sinkhole as well.

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