New Marine Blue Hole Discovered in Scarborough Shoal
نظرة سريعة
- Chinese researchers have discovered a unique marine blue hole in the Scarborough Shoal lagoon, formed by coral reef growth and dating back at least 3,200 years.
- This discovery is expected to provide fresh insights into the shoal's geological evolution and environmental history.
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A newly discovered marine blue hole in the Scarborough Shoal lagoon is unique, formed by the natural growth of a coral reef, unlike most blue holes which were once land caves.
A marine blue hole is a deep, circular sinkhole in the ocean and is typically bright turquoise or emerald green.
Unlike most of the world’s known blue holes – which were once caves on land thousands of years ago during the last ice age – the newly discovered marine blue hole within the Scarborough Shoal lagoon was formed by the natural growth of a coral reef, a report published by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment said on Thursday.
Chinese researchers identified a wealth of marine life in and around the blue hole, which dates back at least 3,200 years, according to the report. The discovery is expected to offer fresh insights into the geological evolution and environmental history of the shoal.
Sitting about 230km (143 miles) off the Philippine coast and about 874km from southern China’s Hainan province, Scarborough Shoal is a triangular-shaped reef formation around a lagoon. It is known as Huangyan Island in China and Panatag Shoal in the Philippines, which also claims the feature.
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The discovery will offer fresh insights into the geological evolution and environmental history of the shoal.
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أسئلة مفتوحة
- What specific marine life was identified in the blue hole?
- What are the precise geological and environmental insights expected from this discovery?
