The Amberjack Hole is a
blue hole
A blue hole is a large marine cavern or sinkhole, which is open to the surface and has developed in a bank or island composed of a carbonate bedrock ( limestone or coral reef). Their existence was discovered in the late 20th century by fishe ...
located off the coast of
Sarasota, Florida
Sarasota () is a city in Sarasota County on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is renowned for its cultural and environmental amenities, beaches, resorts, and the Sarasota School of Architecture. The city is located in the sout ...
. The rim of the hole is approximately below the surface, and extends down approximated .
Exploration
As part of a three-year study, a group of scientists set out in May and September 2019 to explore the region. Individuals from
Mote Marine Laboratory
Mote Marine Laboratory is an independent, nonprofit, marine research organization based on City Island in Sarasota, Florida, with additional campuses in eastern Sarasota County, Boca Grande, Florida, and the Florida Keys. Founded in 1955 by Eug ...
,
Florida Atlantic University, Harbor Branch,
Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...
, the
United States Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, ...
, and the
NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration participated in the expedition. The expedition gathered information about life around and within the hole, seawater composition, and the hole's bottom sediments. Scientists found evidence of nutrient flux moving up from the bottom of the hole, indicating food sources are traveling up as well as descending down into the hole. They also found isotopes of
radium
Radium is a chemical element with the symbol Ra and atomic number 88. It is the sixth element in group 2 of the periodic table, also known as the alkaline earth metals. Pure radium is silvery-white, but it readily reacts with nitrogen (rathe ...
and
radon
Radon is a chemical element with the symbol Rn and atomic number 86. It is a radioactive, colourless, odourless, tasteless noble gas. It occurs naturally in minute quantities as an intermediate step in the normal radioactive decay chains through ...
, common in groundwater indicating there may be a connection between the
Floridan aquifer and the bottom of the hole.
See also
*
Green Banana Hole
The Green Banana Hole is a blue hole off the coast southwest of Sarasota, Florida. The rim is approximately below the surface and the hole extends downward approximately . Blue holes in this area are thought to have formed as sinkholes on lan ...
*
Marine geology
Marine geology or geological oceanography is the study of the history and structure of the ocean floor. It involves geophysical, geochemical, sedimentological and paleontological investigations of the ocean floor and coastal zone. Marine geolog ...
*
Oceanography
Oceanography (), also known as oceanology and ocean science, is the scientific study of the oceans. It is an Earth science, which covers a wide range of topics, including ecosystem dynamics; ocean currents, waves, and geophysical fluid dynamic ...
*
Physical oceanography
Physical oceanography is the study of physical conditions and physical processes within the ocean, especially the motions and physical properties of ocean waters.
Physical oceanography is one of several sub-domains into which oceanography is divi ...
References
External links
PBS Changing Seas: Episode 1201: Florida's Blue Holes: Oases in the SeaEpisode
{{DEFAULTSORT:Amberjack Hole
Cave geology
Landforms of the Gulf of Mexico
Marine geology
.Blue
Sinkholes of Florida
Underwater diving sites in the United States