A giant underwater sinkhole found in the South China Sea is believed to be the deepest in the world.
The finding was announced on Friday by researchers from China after measuring the cavern.
Dubbed the ‘Dragon Hole’ by the Chinese, the limestone cave is 300.89 metres (987 feet) deep, which is nearly the height of the 1,003-foot-tall skyscraper, The Shard.
Located in the South China Sea, the cave measures 300.89 metres (987 feet) deep
The depth of the mysterious sinkhole is nearly the height of The Shard in London
The world’s deepest underwater sinkhole was thought to be the Dean’s Blue Hole in the Bahamas, which measures 202 metres (663 feet) deep before Chinese researchers made the announcement on July 22.
The underwater sinkhole is located at 16.31 degrees north latitude and 111.46 degrees east longitude under the surface of the South China sea, according to China Radio International.
It’s situated near the disputed Paracel Islands, also known as the Xisha in Chinese and Hoàng Sa in Vietnamese.
Underwater sinkholes are also known as blue holes.
Chinese experts measured the dimensions of the blue hole during field research between August 2015, and June 2016, according to state-run Huanqiu.com.
With the help of equipment including sonar scanners, deep-sea current metres, underwater robots and underwater cameras, they found out the sinkhole is 300.89 metres (987 feet) in depth.
They also measured the width of the sinkhole, which is 130 metres (426 feet) at the entrance and about 36 metres (118 feet) at the bottom.
Experts also discovered about 20 marine species in the cave.
Courtesy: Daily Mail
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