The world’s deepest blue hole has been discovered in Mexico: Huge abyss extends at least 400 meters below sea level β and scientists have yet to reach its bottom
It is well known that black holes exist outside our solar system.
But equally mysterious features on Earth are blue holes: enormous sinkholes in our oceans that can span the length of skyscrapers.
Believed to have formed during the last ice ages, blue holes are seen as ‘ecological hotspots’ with an abundance of plant and animal life.
Now scientists have identified the world’s largest blue hole, located in Chetumal Bay off the coast of Mexico.
Known as Taam Ja’, which means “deep water” in Mayan, it reaches at least 420 meters below sea level β and scientists haven’t even reached its bottom yet.
Bird’s-eye view (left) of the entrance to Taam Ja’ – the world’s deepest blue hole – as well as an underwater view of the hole’s mouth (right)
Taam Ja’ is located in Chetumal Bay, off the southeastern coast of the YucatΓ‘n Peninsula, Mexico
Scientists previously thought Taam Ja’ was the second largest blue hole, but new measurements show it beats the previous record holder in China.
Sampling and exploration of the Taam Ja’ blue hole (TJBH) were conducted in September 2021, but it was only last year that researchers revealed its existence.
However, they estimated the depth at 274.4 meters (900.2 feet), about the same height as the Williams Tower in Houston.
In fact, this previous estimate is almost 400 feet shorter than the now confirmed depth β an epic 1,300 feet, which is about the same length as Trump Tower Chicago.
The experts in Chetumal, Mexico managed to obtain more accurate measurements of Taam Ja’ last December using a CTD profiler (conductivity, temperature and depth).
This device consists of a set of probes attached to a circular metal frame, which is lowered through the water via a cable.
Previously, they used sonar mapping, another technique that uses pulses of sound waves.
“A diving expedition was conducted on December 6, 2023 to map environmental conditions at the TJBH,” the team says in a new study published in Frontiers in Marine Sciences.
The location of the Taam ja’ blue hole (TJBH) in Chetumal Bay, Mexico, is shown next to photographs from diving explorations of the TJBH at depths (B) 16 feet below sea level (C) 65 feet below sea level and (D) 300 feet below sea ββlevel
Taam Ja’ was previously thought to reach a total depth of 274.4 meters – about the same height as the Williams Tower in Houston, Texas
Pictured: a CTD profiler (conductivity, temperature and depth). This device consists of a set of probes attached to a circular metal frame, which is lowered through the water via a cable (file photo)
‘CTD profiler records at TJBH surpassed 420 mbsl (meters below sea level) while no bottom had yet been reached, making TJBH the deepest known blue hole worldwide.
‘Confirmation of the maximum depth was not possible due to instrumental limitations during the 2021 scientific expeditions, creating a need for further exploration and analysis.’
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, blue holes are similar to sinkholes on land, except they are filled with water so ocean-going vessels can pass over them.
They are diverse biological communities full of marine life, including corals, sponges, mollusks, sea turtles, sharks and more.
However, little is known about them due to their lack of accessibility and ‘unknown distribution and abundance’.
Blue holes are popular with daring deep-sea divers, although attempts to traverse their depths have proven fatal.
The researchers say there are still “mysteries hidden in TJBH” and that there is a need for “further investigation, monitoring and scientific research.”
Taam Ja’ takes the record from China’s Dragon Hole blue hole, also known locally as Longdong, southeast of Hainan Island.
Scientists previously thought Taam Ja’ was the second largest blue hole, but new measurements show it beats the previous record holder in China: the Hole Blue Hole, also known locally as Longdong (pictured)
Pictured is the Great Blue Hole in Belize, Central America, described as one of the best diving locations in the world
Dragon Hole drops 300.89 meters (987 feet) β making it only about 30 feet shorter than London’s The Shard skyscraper.
Meanwhile, Great Blue Hole off the coast of Belize in Central America β described by French explorer Jacques Cousteau as one of the best diving sites in the world β is 120 meters deep.
A team of explorers, including Virgin billionaire Sir Richard Branson, led an expedition to Great Blue Hole in 2018.
Branson himself saw plastic bottles at the bottom of the hole, as well as a “graveyard” of shellfish created by thousands of shellfish falling into the canyon.
Other notable blue holes include Dean’s Blue Hole in the Bahamas (about 662 feet or 202 meters) and the Dahab Blue Hole in Egypt (426 feet or 130 meters).
JACQUES COUSTEAU AND THE GREAT BLUE HOLE
The Great Blue Hole was made famous by French ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau, who declared it one of the five best diving sites in the world.
In 1972, he brought his famous research vessel, the Calypso, to explore the depths of the sinkhole.
The expedition found some submerged stalactites in the hole and was able to conclude that the Blue Hole was formed before ocean levels rose.
The Great Blue Hole was made famous by French ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau (left), who declared it one of the top five diving sites in the world. In 1972, he brought his famous research vessel, the Calypso, to explore the depths of the sinkhole.
Research by this expedition confirmed the origin of the hole as typical karst limestone formations, formed before sea level rise in at least four stages, leaving ridges at depths of 21 m (69 ft), 49 m (161 ft) and 91 m (299m). ft).
Stalactites were recovered from submerged caves, confirming their previous formation above sea level.
Some of these stalactites were also located 5Λ off vertical in a consistent orientation, indicating that some geological shifting and tilting of the underlying plateau also occurred in the past, followed by a long period in the current plane.
The tilt indicates that this was a movement of the land, and not just a rise in sea level.