OCEAN PRESENTATION

Great blue hole

Ciumac Mia & Lupasco Gabriela

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. It has a surface area of 70,650 square metres (760,500 sq ft). It was formed during several episodes of 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. The Great Blue Hole is a part of the larger Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Great Blue Hole is more than 100 m deep. Actually it,s 125m deep

Great Blue Hole is around 150,000 years old

Great Blue Hole was originally located inland

Great Blue Hole is a part of a larger coral reef

Depth of the hole was first charted in 1971

Great Blue Hole is a World Heritage Site

Only experienced divers are allowed to descend

There are many tourist resorts in the vicinity

Many species of sharks live in or near the cave

coral from the great blue hole

VIDEO

what is at the bottom of the great blue hole

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