Discover the world’s deepest underwater sinkhole with our weekly digest of the best opinions.
The Taam Ja’ Blue Hole in Mexico’s Chetumal Bay is confirmed to be the deepest blue hole on Earth, surpassing the Dragon Hole in the South China Sea. The hole is at least 420m deep and was initially thought to be only 275m deep when discovered in 2021. Researchers have used new technology to measure its depth and profile the water’s conductivity, temperature, and depth.
The discovery of this deep blue hole raises questions about what lies at its bottom near the Chicxulub crater, where a dinosaur-killing asteroid struck 66 million years ago. The researchers found that there may be an underwater seabed connecting the Taam Ja’ Blue Hole to nearby Caribbean Sea, suggesting a unique biodiversity within its depths waiting to be explored.
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