Location of the Great Blue Hole off the east coast of Belize.
Simplified layout of the hole.Lighthouse Reef as seen from space. The Great Blue Hole is near the center of the photograph.
The Great Blue Hole is a giant marine sinkhole off the coast of Belize. It lies near the center of Lighthouse Reef, a small atoll 70 km (43 mi) from the mainland and Belize City. The hole is circular in shape, 318 m (1,043 ft) across and 124 m (407 ft) deep.[1][2] It has a surface area of 70,650 square metres (760,500 sq ft). It was formed during several phases of the Quaternary glaciation when sea levels were much lower. Analysis of stalactites found in the Great Blue Hole shows that formation took place 153,000, 66,000, 60,000, and 15,000 years ago. As the ocean began to rise again, the cave was flooded.[3] The Great Blue Hole is a part of the larger Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[4]
^The Great Blue Hole of Lighthouse Reef Atoll, Belize, Central America: Deep Technical Diving to Collect Sea-Level Records. Transactions of the Fifteenth Caribbean Geological Conference. 2002. ISBN 9789766401009.
^"Expedition Survey of Belize's Great Blue Hole with Ellipse INS sensor". Geo-matching. Retrieved 21 September 2023..
examples are the Dragon Hole (in the South China Sea) and, in the Caribbean, the GreatBlueHole and Dean's BlueHole. Blueholes are distinguished from...
Dragon Hole, also known as Yongle BlueHole named after the third Ming emperor, is the deepest known bluehole in the world at 300.89 metres (987.2 ft)...
recreational diving. GreatBlueHole – Belize. Spectacular, round sinkhole, 124 m (407 ft) deep. Unusual features are tilted stalactites in great depth, which...
A hole is an opening in or through a particular medium, usually a solid body. Holes occur through natural and artificial processes, and may be useful...
Reef is the most easterly diving area in Belize, it is home to the GreatBlueHole, made famous by Jacques Cousteau in 1970; Turneffe Atoll lies directly...
following is a list of sinkholes, blueholes, dolines, crown holes, cenotes, and pit caves. A sinkhole is a depression or hole in the ground caused by some...
Gambier, South Australia Little Blue Lake, near Mount Schank, South Australia Thunderball Grotto, on Staniel Cay GreatBlueHole Devil's Bath is the largest...
The Amberjack Hole is a bluehole located 48 km (30 mi) off the coast of Sarasota, Florida. The rim of the hole is approximately 34 m (112 ft) below the...
The Green Banana Hole is a bluehole 80 km (50 mi) off the United States western seaboard southwest of Sarasota, Florida. The rim is approximately 47 m...
The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system, composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 2,300 kilometres...
deform spacetime to form a black hole. The boundary of no escape is called the event horizon. A black hole has a great effect on the fate and circumstances...
West Point. In addition to these coral reefs, it is also home to the GreatBlueHole. The flora on the reef islands is mostly coconut trees. On the western...
starboard side hiding the zone of impact with the mine. There is a huge hole just beneath the forward well deck. The bow is heavily deformed and attached...
iguana the blue land crab (Cardisoma guanhumi) Invasive species include the boa constrictor The Cozumel flag displays a swallow on a blue and white background...
Boesmansgat (or Bushmansgat), also known in English as "Bushman's Hole", is a deep submerged freshwater cave (or sinkhole) in the Northern Cape province...
ethnic and linguistic denomination. Some natives, even with blonde hair and blue eyes, may call themselves Creoles. Belize Creole or Kriol developed during...
liner. Once-popular access points frequented by divers, such as Gimbel's hole, no longer exist. Divers call Andrea Doria a "noisy" wreck, as it emits various...
in almost any location with water. Popular destinations: Belize's GreatBlueHole Tahiti Sipadan Island's Barracuda Point "ATTA Values Statement" (PDF)...
Storstad remained afloat, but Empress of Ireland was severely damaged. A gaping hole in her side caused the lower decks to flood at a rate alarming to the crew...
The Island is also used as a popular launch off for scuba diving the GreatBlueHole, with several expeditions per week. "Northern Belize Caste War History;...
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