great blue hole
09/15/12
— beauty, belize, central america, nature, travel
seeing this work of nature put belize on my “places to visit” list. via nasa:
Surrounded by darker, deeper ocean waters, coral atolls often glow in vibrant hues of turquoise, teal, peacock blue, or aquamarine. Belize’s Lighthouse Reef Atoll fits this description, with its shallow waters covering light-colored coral: the combination of water and pale corals creates varying shades of blue-green. Within this small sea of light colors, however, lies a giant circle of deep blue. Roughly 300 meters (1,000 feet) across and 125 meters (400 feet) deep, the feature is known as the Great Blue Hole.
more from away.com:
The Blue Hole looks most impressive from the air—brilliant shades of blue rapidly shift from the lightest of Caribbean aqua to the deepest navy as you approach the monument’s apex, but its true glories aren’t merely skin deep: shallow reefs around the perimeter of this aquatic abyss burst with vibrant coral, home to angelfish, butterfly fish, sea urchins, and giant green anemones, while a vast network of underwater valleys and tunnels lie hidden in its deep-blue heart.
here’s what it looks like from space:
