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| Map of Belize |
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| Great Blue Hole, Lighthouse Reef Atoll, Belize (Photographed by David Doubilet, National Geographic) |
Believed to be the largest feature of its kind in the world, the Great Blue Hole is located in Belize’s Lighthouse Reef Atoll, a large coral reef, or biologic sedimentary rock formed by the accumulation of organic material (i.e., coral). The bedrock in the region is limestone, a chemical sedimentary rock formed by calcite. The Great Blue Hole is a giant sea-hole, or a sinkhole found in the ocean, measuring 984 feet in diameter and 407 feet deep. The interesting feature of this site is an underwater cave.
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| Stalactites, Half Moon CayeGreat Blue Hole, Lighthouse Reef Atoll, Belize |
The presence of stalactites, stalagmites and columns shows the cave was once above sea level. As sea levels rose, the caverns grew, and the roof weakened and collapsed, forming the sinkhole. At some point, Lighthouse Reef Atoll experienced some tectonic movement along the continental/oceanic transform fault, as the North American Plate and Caribbean Plate moved against each other, and shifted at an angle of approximately 12 degrees, shown by the angle of the stalactites found in the sea cave, which only form in a perpendicular pattern due to gravity.
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