Surely you’ve ever heard of blue holes , but do you know what they really are? These are almost circular underwater caves with vertical walls that are named for the stark contrast between the light blue of the surrounding shallow waters and the dark hue of the deep waters. It is important to bear in mind that from a certain depth, the water in the blue holes is unfavorable for most marine life, although it can be inhabited by a wide variety of bacteria. They were formed during past ice ages, when the sea level was between 100 and 150 meters lower than today.
Why are we talking about blue holes? Well, because a few weeks ago Chinese scientists have come to the conclusion that a hole known as the Dragon Hole , which is located in the waters of the South China Sea, is the largest in the world, reaching 300 meters deep.
Amazing dimensions
As we have just mentioned, the depth of this blue hole is amazing, reaching 300 meters deep. Of course, this is not the only measure that surprises, since according to Chinese researchers, it extends 129 meters wide, that is, a distance greater than two football fields. Unfortunately, in the image that you can see at the beginning you cannot appreciate the impressive dimensions of this blue hole.
The Dragon Pit Sansha Yongle
Although in some media there has been talk of a new find, the truth is that it is not an unknown place for local fishermen, who attribute numerous myths to it. In fact, according to mythology, in this underwater cave, which until now was known as the Dragon Pit, the monkey king Sun Wukong got his golden rod. Now, the Chinese authorities have decided to rename it as the Sansha Yongle Dragon Pit, as it is located near the city of Sansha , in the Xisha Islands.
Data to be confirmed
Although there are many who assure that this is the largest cave in the world, the truth is that members of the University Oceanography of China have explained that its exact depth has yet to be adjusted, taking into account factors such as temperature, levels of the tide, density and salinity of the water. Of course, it is important to bear in mind that scientists have been studying the characteristics of the sinkhole for a year, using an underwater robot. Those in charge of the study have been scientists from the Sansha Coral Protection Research Institute, who have found more than 20 species of fish in the upper part of the hole although, as we have mentioned before, life is unlikely below of 100 meters, since the waters at this depth are anoxic. If this data is confirmed, the cave would remove the position from Dean’s Blue Hole , located in the Bahamas. According to scientists, this cave reaches 202 meters deep. You can see an image of this blue hole below.
A very disputed sea
On the other hand, we want to comment that the South China Sea is disputed by several countries, among which are Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, China, the Philippines and Brunei. In fact, it is one of the most militarized areas on the planet. This is due to its wealth of natural resources and the many waterways. Finally, we want to comment that the Sansha city government has established measures to protect and study this blue hole.
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