World's Deepest Blue Hole Is in South China Sea

World's Deepest Blue Hole Is in South China Sea

So an interesting bit of news in the world of science today. Off the coast of China, scientists recently gauged the depth of a blue hole and found it to be the deepest blue hole discovered in the ocean so far. A blue hole is a part of the ocean where the depth suddenly plunges hundreds of feet, as such you can see a dark blue spot from the sky.

A new exploration of a legendary blue hole in the South China Sea has found that the underwater feature is the deepest known on Earth.
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According to Xinhua News, Dragon Hole, or Longdong, is 987 feet (300.89 meters) deep, far deeper than the previous record holder, Dean's Blue Hole in the Bahamas. (That blue hole measures about 663 feet, or 202 m, deep.) According to Xinhua, local legend holds that Dragon Hole is mentioned in the Ming dynasty novel "Journey to the West," in which a supernatural monkey character gets a magical cudgel from an undersea kingdom ruled by a dragon.

This particular hole is called the "Dragon Hole" and has some history in China from the locals. Though keep in mind, this IS from China and the results need to be corroborated by peer review, but it's pretty cool if true.

The findings have yet to be confirmed or reviewed by scientists in the field, but if they hold up, the measurements peg Dragon Hole as far deeper than Dean's Blue Hole, said Pete van Hengstum, a marine geologist at Texas A&M University at Galveston, who conducts research on blue holes and sinkholes throughout the Caribbean region. [See Photos of 8 Amazing Sinkholes]

Here's some info on how blue holes are formed:

Blue holes are water-filled sinkholes that form in carbonate rock such as limestone. Over long periods of time, the carbonate rock dissolves in the subsurface to form caves or cavities, van Hengstum told Live Science.

"Eventually, the process of dissolution causes the cave to reach very close to the Earth's surface, and if the cave ceiling collapses, a blue hole or sinkhole is formed," he said.

Some blue holes, like Dragon Hole, open up to the marine environment, while others are inland.

It's something of a mystery why blue holes form precisely where they do and what factors influence their development. Chemical reactions at the interface of saltwater and freshwater can create weak acids that eat away at limestone and other carbonates, said Lisa Park Boush, a geoscientist at the University of Connecticut who studies blue-hole sediments in the Bahamas. As a result, rising and falling sea levels can influence when and where blue holes form. [In Photos: Stunning Blue Holes from Around the World]

Cool stuff.

a reply to: Krazysh0t

North Korea news have just reported a local stream bed with a blue hole that's "a million miles deeper than theirs."

When questioned how such a depth could even be possible, Kim Jong-un said, "The Earth is deeper in Korea than anywhere else. It's as deep as infinity plus one."

I do not remember flying over that particular blue hole but I have seen others on a smaller scale..I believe It was the Monkey King that received the cudgel which is another word for staff.. S&F

a reply to: 727Sky

Yea that's a popular folk tale in China. I've heard it a few times and it is retold in their media a lot too.

a reply to: Krazysh0t

Just better hope there is not a waffle at the bottom of there blue hole.

originally posted by: andy06shake
a reply to: Krazysh0t

Just better hope there is not a waffle at the bottom of there blue hole.

A blue waffle what is that ?

originally posted by: Spacespider

originally posted by: andy06shake
a reply to: Krazysh0t

Just better hope there is not a waffle at the bottom of there blue hole.

A blue waffle what is that ?

It was/is a hoax venereal disease. Don't go looking though...some things can't be unseen!

Back on topic...here's a decent video that shows the South China Seas blue hole in its semi-lurid beauty

a reply to: Spacespider

Posting a pic would possibly be against the TnC of ATS.

Google at your own risk buddy.

Hope you have a strong tummy through.

a reply to: Krazysh0t

They must think we are STUPID!!!

All that pretending that they are protecting territorial waters, when we ALL know that that is were the aliens crashed their rocketship!

I am off for an investgate...

a reply to: Kandinsky

Yea I wanted to post a pic in the OP, but livescience didn't include one. I guess I should have used the HuffPo article I originally saw this story on.

a reply to: Krazysh0t

Maybe one of those big sand worms from Dune is responsible?

a reply to: andy06shake

Those guys are desert creatures though. What about a leviathan or a kraken?

Could nuclear tests create such a hole?

originally posted by: TheTory
Could nuclear tests create such a hole?

No, it's a natural thing. all the blue holes you see around the world happened during the last ice age when sea level was almost 400 feet lower than it is now. Normal above water wear and tear on limestone and such.

I was supposed to go see the one in Belize, but we had to cancel the trip. There is some really neat and weird stuff in the world.

a reply to: TheTory

Possibly if they were testing a Nuclear Subterrene.

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