Scientists discover world’s second-deepest blue hole off the coast of Mexico

Researchers have found the second-deepest blue hole in the world just off the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. The underwater cavern, located in Chetumal Bay is said to be approximately 900 feet deep and 80 or so feet less than the world’s deepest known blue hole which was discovered nearly seven years ago in the South China Sea.

While the blue hole was discovered back in 2021, it was not until recently that it was studied and documented in the scientific journal Frontiers In Marine Science. The site dubbed, Taam ja’ which means “deep water” in Mayan, was surveyed and sampled by scuba divers, undersea sonar, and using various other methods.

What are blue holes?

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According to LiveScience, blue holes are large, undersea vertical caves or sinkholes found in coastal regions. They are also typically home to a range of plant and marine life, including corals, sea turtles and sharks.

Blue holes form when seawater meets limestone. Since limestone is very porous, the water easily permeates the rock while the chemicals present in the water slowly eat the limestone away over time.

However, blue holes, due to a lack of proper means to access them remain largely insufficiently studied by scientists. In an email, a coastal geologist from the United States Geological Survey (USGS), Christopher G. Smith told LiveScience, “They are largely poorly understood.”

The coastal geologist added that the unique seawater chemistry in blue holes suggests that they might interact with groundwater and possibly aquifers. Blue holes also contain very little oxygen, while sunlight only shines on their surface but despite these factors, they are home to various species that have adapted to the low-oxygen environment.

What do we know about the recent discovery?

Taam ja’, spans an area of 147,000 square feet and also has steep side slopes with a nearly 80-degree angle which form the “large conic structure,” noted the study. The mouth of the cavern sits around 15 feet below sea level. In 2021, scientists from El Colegio de la Frontera Sur (Ecosur), a public research centre coordinated by Mexico’s National Council of Science and Technology (Conacyt) first discovered the sinkhole.

The “origin and geological evolution of the TJBH (Taam ja’ Blue Hole) deserves further investigation,” researchers noted in the study.

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