The Bahamas are quickly becoming famous for their massive “blue holes”. These blue holes are flooded caves that commonly get about a hundred feet deep. The hole is vertical, but multiple caves branch off of the main chamber for thousands of feet in several directions. Because the holes are so deep, water circulation is poor They are typically anoxic past a certain depth, which prevents the caves from becoming populated by marine life. However, bacteria life abounds. And because there is a lack of oxygen, many of the items that fall into the caves become fairly well preserved. Scientists naturally flock to these little explored caves and have come up with some interesting discoveries.
A research team funded by National Geographic and the National Museum of the Bahamas explored Bahamian blue holes some time back, and multiple photos and information from this dive was recently brought up on Yahoo! News. According to the story, the time team found living fossils, sand from the Sahara desert, human remains, and fossilized crocodile skulls from an extinct species. For a complete writeup of National Geographic’s exploration, please visit “Deep Dark Secrets“.
