The True Blue

The seas are filled with many geologic wonders, such as the Great Blue Hole, located about 50 miles off the coast of Belize. This enormous limestone sinkhole measures roughly 1,000 feet (304.8 m) wide and 400 feet (152 m) deep. Though the limestone was deposited during the global flood, the sinkhole likely formed soon after. During the post-flood ice age, the falling sea level exposed the surface of the limestone layers to intense weathering, producing the sinkhole. When the sea level rose at the end of the ice age, water filled the sinkhole.

The sinkhole’s surface is teeming with life, such as corals, parrotfish, turtles, and sharks. But the hole holds a deadly secret. While 3D mapping the sinkhole’s interior in 2018, researchers discovered a layer of toxic hydrogen sulfide approximately 300 feet below the surface, preventing oxygen from reaching the bottom. Thus, despite the beauty at the sinkhole’s surface, its hostile interior is filled with the skeletons of conchs and other sea creatures.

While the Great Blue Hole is beautiful to behold, it bears the scars of an imperfect world. Thankfully, God promises to someday create a new world free from the corruption of sin. How spectacular will that new world be, with only God’s creative beauty on display!

This article is from Answers magazine, April–June, 2024, p. 24.