NASA photographed a “whale” 42 km long (with a strange hole in the middle)

The geological formation is located in Belize and its silhouette clearly resembles a whale. The hole in the center of the atoll is one of the most impressive marine structures in the world.

An image captured by NASA from the International Space Station drew attention to the Lighthouse Reefan atoll located in Belize whose silhouette resembles a whale, and which hides in its center a almost perfect dark circle.

This is one of the most impressive marine formations on the planet, now shown from a perspective never seen before, says NASA in .

The photograph, captured by an ISS astronaut when the station was in orbit over the Caribbean Sea and released by NASA’s Earth Observatory, shows how the atoll combines a unusual morphology with a huge underwater sinkhole that, seen from above, looks like an animal’s vent what its contour reminds us of.

This visual uniqueness has turned the place into both a scientific and tourist reference. The “Great Blue Hole” is located near the center of the atoll, about 50 miles off the mainland coast of Belize. THE exceptional water claritycharacteristic of atolls in the Caribbean, allows the deeper hole to stand out from the shallower (clearer) waters of the reef.

The mysterious hole most likely formed during the last Ice Age, when the global sea level was much lower.

The marine sinkhole, which is filled with characteristic geological formations, including limestone stalactites and stalagmites, stretches across 300 metros in diameter and reaches a depth of more than 120 meters.

The depths and impressive rock formations inside the Great Blue Hole are fascinating for experienced divers. Although the reefs around it are teeming with life, the poor oxygen circulation and the lack of light at the bottom of the hole create an inhospitable environment for most life forms.

Lighthouse Reef and the Great Blue Hole are a small part of the Belize Barrier Reef system, a of the most pristine marine ecosystems in the world and with a great diversity of species.

The Belize Barrier Reef is part of the Great Barrier Reef, the second largest in the world. Stretching 1,000 kilometers off the coasts of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and Honduras, the reef system is an important hub for marine species and one of the most biodiverse places on Earth.