| Dragon Hole | |
|---|---|
| Yongle Blue Hole | |
  | |
| Location | Paracel Islands |
| Coordinates | 16°31′30″N 111°46′04″E / 16.5249°N 111.7679°EN16.5249373, E111.7680205 (N16°31.55’. E111°46.1’) |
| Depth | 300.89 metres |
Dragon Hole, also known as Yongle Blue Hole (Traditional chinese:永樂藍洞) after the third Ming emperor, Yongle, was the deepest known blue hole in the world at 300.89 metres (987.2 ft) deep[1] until it was discovered that the Taam Ja' surpassed it in 2024.[2] It is located about 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) north of Drummond Island in the Paracel Islands.[1] Blue holes generate a distinctive dark blue colour when seen from above and are typically only a few dozen meters deep.
The local fishermen call it the "eye" of the South China Sea, and according to legend it is where the Monkey King, depicted in the novel Journey to the West, found his golden cudgel.[1][3]
Dragon Hole is about 100 metres (330 ft) deeper than Dean's Blue Hole in the Bahamas. There are several fresh water sinkholes on land that are deeper than Dragon Hole. These include Mexico's Zacatón (335 metres (1,099 ft)), Pozzo del Merro in Italy (392 metres (1,286 ft))[4][5] and Hranice abyss in the Czech Republic (404 metres (1,325 ft)).
The Sansha Yongle Blue hole was created around the same time as the surrounding South China Sea islands.[6] Blue holes can be formed in a number of ways. The most common is melting ice structures in the surface resulting in large pits where ice once was. Blue holes may also be formed after a disruption in the surface of the ocean floor by tectonic shifts that result in the settlement of sand and debris (Emery, 1962). The Blue Hole in Belize was once a dry land cave; its present form is a result of sea level rise and subsequent roof collapse.
- ^ a b c "Researchers just discovered the world's deepest underwater sinkhole in the South China Sea". The Washington Post. 26 July 2016. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Alcérreca-Huerta et al. 2024was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "China Exclusive: South China Sea "blue hole" declared world's deepest". New China. Xinhua News Agency. 23 July 2016. Archived from the original on July 24, 2016. Retrieved 29 July 2016.
- ^ Mazza, Ed (29 July 2016). "'Dragon Hole', World's Deepest Blue Hole, Discovered In South China Sea". Huffington Post. Retrieved 29 July 2016.
- ^ "Deep Blue Hole Found in South China Sea". The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones. 28 July 2016. Retrieved 29 July 2016.
- ^ Li, Tiegang; Feng, Aiping; Liu, Yanxiong; Li, Zhenhong; Guo, Kai; Jiang, Wenzheng; Du, Jun; Tian, Ziwen; Xu, Wenxue; Liu, Yang; Wang, Yanru (2018-11-20). "Three-dimensional (3D) morphology of Sansha Yongle Blue Hole in the South China Sea revealed by underwater remotely operated vehicle". Scientific Reports. 8 (1): 17122. Bibcode:2018NatSR...817122L. doi:10.1038/s41598-018-35220-x. PMC 6244355. PMID 30459420.