The discovery of a huge blue hole off the coast of Mexico

Strange but true

by Ben Coast

April 24, 2023 | 11:59 a.m

It could fill a huge knowledge “gap” about alien life.

Researchers stunned the scientific community after discovering the world’s second largest blue hole in Mexico – which could provide a window on life on other planets.

The massive sapphire stream was originally discovered in 2021, but was recently documented in the scientific journal Frontiers in Marine Sciences.

It is likely the “deepest known blue hole in the area,” according to the scientists, who were affiliated with the public research center El Colegio de la Frontera Sur (Ecosur).

Known in scientific circles as karst formations, blue holes are actually vertical sea caves that were carved out over thousands of years by glacial runoff during the Ice Age, according to Discovery.com.

These sprawling water formations often extend hundreds of feet down and can measure an equal or greater distance as well.

This recent cobalt cave system was discovered off Chetumal Bay on the Yucatan Peninsula, surveyed and sampled by divers, undersea sonar and other methods.

Dubbed ‘Taam ja’ – which means ‘deep water’ in Mayan – this gigantic blue lake spans 147,000 square feet with a depth of 900 feet, Live Science reported.

This “makes it the world’s second-deepest known blue hole,” after the Dragon Hole in the South China Sea which is believed to extend down about 980 feet, according to the study.

Also of note is Taam Ja’ Blue Hole’s steep, nearly 80-degree cliffs that form a ‘large conical structure’.

The walls of the Indigo crater protect the water from the tides, keeping its current completely steady, like some water anomaly that has stopped working.

Unfortunately, there are few scholarships in blue holes due to their lack of accessibility for people.

The aforementioned tidal flow makes it “sharply layered by a thin layer of fresh water on the surface that prevents oxygen from reaching the dense salt water below,” according to Discovery.com.

Instead of oxygen, these hypergates are filled with deadly hydrogen sulfide gas, making it dangerous for people to venture into the Abyss without the proper equipment.

Despite the harsh conditions, blue holes are true oceanic oases teeming with life that has adapted to an oxygen-poor environment.

Coincidentally, the researchers note, this lack of oxygen has the side effect of perfectly preserving fossils, enabling scientists to identify long-extinct species.

In fact, submerged sinkholes may provide a gateway to both space and time: In 2012, scientists exploring blue holes in the Bahamas discovered bacteria deep in caves where there is no other life, which may fill a knowledge “gap” about the types of life forms. The ability to survive on other planets.

“The geological origin and evolution of TJBH merits further investigation,” the study authors declare.

Perhaps even more troubling is the insight blue holes provide into human activity.

During a 2018 exploration of the mysterious “Great Blue Hole” in Belize, researchers discovered plastic bottles at the bottom of the 410-foot-deep formation.

“The real monsters facing the ocean are climate change and plastic,” said billionaire Virgin founder Richard Branson, who took part in the expedition. “We should all get rid of single-use plastic.”