The incredible discoveries of an expedition in the Great Blue Hole in the Caribbean

A team of scientists and researchers visited the site near the coast of Belize on December 28th.

A team of scientists recently returned from the Great Blue Hole off the coast of Belize. The mission, which was part of the tycoon Richard Branson, promises to surprise the world of science with his discoveries.

The Great Blue Hole is the largest and deepest sink in the world, with 300 meters in diameter and approximately 125 meters deep. This place is located near the reef of the lighthouse, an atoll about 100 kilometers from the coast of Belize.

Fabien Cousteau, grandson of the legendary French explorer Jacques Cousteau, was also part of the team. His grandfather was one of the first to place the large sink on the map.

The group of researchers, explorers and scientists arrived on December 28 to discover the great mysteries of the Great Blue Hole. Using two submarines, they captured images and managed to create a three-dimensional map of their interior, reported CNN.

Erika Bergman, oceanographer and chief operating officer, who was part of the expedition, said that one of the most important discoveries was the discovery of stalactites, a type of mineral formations shaped like ice cubes.

"It was quite exciting, because it has not been mapped there before, we have not discovered anything so far," says Bergman.

Bergman admits that the experience of being submerged in the dark was incredible.

"One of the strange things about the hole is the layer of hydrogen sulfide," Bergman said in an interview with CNN.

The more they dive into the hole, the more light is cut off and the divers are plunged into darkness.

"You lose all the sunlight and it becomes all black, and there it is totally anoxic, with no life," says Bergman.

However, thanks to the high resolution sonar, the expedition was able to discover the strange and surprising characteristics of the hole.

"You can be 20 or 30 meters from a stalactite or a piece of wall and see it with all the perfect details, better than what sight could provide," says the researcher.

Some things they found in the hole could not be identified. Like some background prints in the background, which, according to Bergman, are "subject to interpretation".

The expedition also concluded that the hole was almost free of waste. The human impact is minimal.

"Basically, there were two or three little pieces of plastic, and other than that, it was very clear," says Bergman.

"It is good that there are spaces on our planet, and most of them in the oceans, which are exactly as they were thousands of years ago and will continue to grow. To be exactly as they will be in the future, "he adds.

(Infobae)