BLUE HOLES AND CAVESSOCIAL SCIENCES [GEOGRAPHY]

PRIMARY,MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION

2010-2011

The primary purpose of this booklet is to supplement social science studies for primary, middle and high school students as it relates to Bahamian geography and in particular Blue Holes and Caves and other indigenous topographical sites. The supplement should be used in conjunction with other social studies and geography texts recommended by the Bahamas Ministry of Education.

The booklet is broken down into two phases: Phase 1:- Primary school – grades 3 – 6; Phase 2:- Middle School – grades 7 – 9 and High School – grades 10 – 12.

All information provided for this supplementary booklet was a result of research of the following websites:

Bahamas Caves and Blue Holeshttp://www.tamug.edu/cavebiology/Bahamas/BahamaIntro.htmlBahamas Caves Research Foundationhttp://www.bahamascaves.com/blueholes.htmlDean’s Blue Holehttp://bahamas-longisland-properties.com/bluehole/bluehole.htmVertical Bluehttp://verticalblue.net/Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_hole

Author: R. Cecilia Askew copyright@2010

Phase 1 – PRIMARY DIVISIONGrade 3-6

Blue Holes and Caves of Andros

What is a Blue Hole or Cave? A blue hole is a submarine cave or underwater sinkhole. They are also described as vertical caves.

The Bahamas has many Blues and Caves and they can be found on just about every island in our commonwealth. To begin we will learn about the many Blue Holes and Caves on the island of ANDROS because on this island there are over ten Blue Holes and caves. Further, Andros, the largest island in The Bahamas and is covered with forests of pine and hardwoods.

The east coast of Andros Island lies along the Tongue of the Ocean, a deep oceanic trench. Because of it’s location, the east coast of the island is bordered by the best developed fringing reef system in all of The Bahamas and one of the best in the entire wider Caribbean region. North and South Andros, are separated by three [3] tidal creeks - North, Middle and South Bights. North Bight Double Hole and Middle Bight Inland Blue Hole are also classified as Blue Holes.

Main Inland Blue Holes

North Andros: Guardian Blue HoleLittle Frenchman Blue Hole [Uncle Charlie’s Blue Hole]

South Andros: Sanctuary Blue HoleStargate Blue Hole

Main Ocean Blue Holes

North Andros: Bob’s Blue HoleConch Sound Blue HoleLong Rock Blue HoleMastic Point Blue HoleOcean Blue HoleRat Cay Blue Hole

South Andros: Atlantis Blue HoleBenjamin’s Blue Hole Chain [4 Openings]Exley’s Boiling Hole [2 Openings]Four Shark Blue HoleLusca’s Breath Blue Hole

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Basic Geography Terms

Abyssal Plain: - Another name for the ocean floor.

Aqua: - Water [Latin]

Aquatic: - With reference to water Attol: - A ring shaped reef composed largely of coral.

Bay: - A body of sheltered water found in a crescent shaped coastal configuration of land.

Coastline: - The line that separates a land surface from an ocean or sea.

Coral Reef: - Ridge of limestone found generally below the ocean surface.

-2-Students should be taught the information according to their level of understanding and pace. Assignments should require the student to gather information on Blue Holes to present to his or her class.

Assignments:

Class Work Assignments

A. Primary students should be asked to use their imagination and draw blue holes and caves. Evaluation will ascertain whether the students have grasped the information given.

B. Quiz students on the lessons given.

C. Quiz students on the words from the ‘basic geography terms’ on page 2.

D. If possible plan a field trip to visit a Blue Hole/Cave. [This will most likely apply to teachers/students living in Andros. – Teacher/Students on other islands can decide if it is feasible to plan a field trip to Andros for a day or to visit a neighbouring Blue Hole/Cave on their island.]

Homework Research Assignments

A. Have student research information on one or more of the Blue Holes/Caves that will include such information like: name given by the locals; size; animal and/or plant life [if any]. Pictures of the Blue Hole should be provided [if they are available]. Evaluation should be based on the content of the presentation and any pictorials provided. Primary students should be asked to use their imagination and draw blue holes and caves based on pictures provided during class work. Evaluation will ascertain whether the students have grasped the information given.

B. Give students an incentive of extra credit and merits for researching Blue Holes and Caves outside of the island of Andros.

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CREATIVE VISION CHRISTIAN ACADEMYSOCIAL SCIENCES [GEOGRAPHY]MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION

2010-2011

PHASE TWO

The primary purpose of this booklet is to supplement social science studies for middle and high school students as it relates to Bahamian geography and in particular Blue Holes and Caves and other indigenous topographical sites. The supplement should be used in conjunction with other social studies and geography texts recommended by the Bahamas Ministry of Education.

Phase 2: - continues with information relating to the largest Blue Hole found in the world and, Blue Holes/ Caves found on other islands in The Bahamas, around the Caribbean region and other continents.

Blue Holes and Caves according to some are the results of rainwater having soaked through fractures of limestone bedrock onto the water table of glacial sea levels during the ice age some 15,000 years ago or simply put underwater caves. They form a part of an extensive cave system that formed in The Bahamas in prehistoric times and, The Bahamas has the only known tidal blue holes in the world.

**************************************************************************************************Abaco Cays EleutheraAcklins/Crooked Island Exuma Cays San SalvadorCat Island New ProvidenceGrand Bahama Great InaguaLong Island Mayaguana****************************************************************************************************

Abaco CaysThe Abaco Cays are located just east of Grand Bahama on the Little Bahama Bank, and they make up the second largest island group [after Andros] in The Bahamas. The main islands of the Abacos' are Great Abaco and Little Abaco. It has numerous offshore cays, which cover a land area of approximately 1700 square kilometres and extend for about 200 km from Walker's Cay in the north to Hole in the Wall at the southern end. One of the world's largest barrier reef systems runs almost 160 km from Walker's Cay to about 32 km south of Elbow Cay, and Abacos' string of offshore cays extends almost the same distance from Walker's to just off Little Harbour.

Blue Holes/Caves

Main Inland Blue Holes/Caves on Great AbacoDan’s CaveMagical SinkSawmill Sink

Main Ocean Blue HolesCherokee Sound Blue HolesReel Breaker Blue Hole

AcklinsAcklins is a long, narrow, and hilly island, with lots of caves and bays along the western shore of the island. Both Acklins and neighbouring Crooked Island are bordered to the west by a shallow pond known as the Bight of Acklins.

Main Inland Blue HolesDuncan Pond CaveJumby Hole CaveLiza Bay Cave

Main Ocean Blue Hole

Ocean Dean

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AndrosThe east coast of Andros Island lies along the Tongue of the Ocean, a deep oceanic trench. Because of it’s location, the east coast of the island is bordered by the best developed fringing reef system in all of The Bahamas and one of the best in the entire wider Caribbean region. North and South Andros, are separated by three [3] tidal creeks - North, Middle and South Bights. North Bight Double Hole and Middle Bight Inland Blue Hole are also classified as Blue Holes.

Main Inland Blue Holes

North Andros: Guardian Blue HoleLittle Frenchman Blue Hole [Uncle Charlie’s Blue Hole]

South Andros: Sanctuary Blue HoleStargate Blue Hole

Main Ocean Blue Holes

North Andros: Bob’s Blue HoleConch Sound Blue HoleLong Rock Blue HoleMastic Point Blue HoleOcean Blue HoleRat Cay Blue Hole

South Andros: Atlantis Blue HoleBenjamin’s Blue Hole Chain [4 Openings]Exley’s Boiling Hole [2 Openings]Four Shark Blue HoleLusca’s Breath Blue Hole

Cat IslandCat Island has the distinction of being the highest island in The Bahamas where the highest point in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas is found – Mt. Alvernia [Como Hill]. Most notably an expedition took place in 1985, where R. J. Palmer visited 18 caves and, 7 Blue Holes and wrote about them in the book: “The caves and Blue Holes of Cat Island, Bahamas”.

Main Inland Blue HolesBig FountainCrown Blue Hole

Main Ocean Blue HoleBoiling Water

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Crooked IslandCrooked Island is a high island that covers a land area of 218 square kilometres. Formed on the Northwest edge is an atoll system that also included Acklins Island.

Main Inland Blue Holes

Gordon Bluff CaveMcKays Hill Cave

EleutheraEleuthera primarily consists of rolling hills and valleys studded with tranquil lakes and woodlands. The coasts alternate between high steep cliffs and beautiful beaches.

Main Inland Blue Holes

Hatchet Bay CaveRock Sound Blue Hole

Exuma CaysThe Exuma Cays are bordered by deep waters of the Exuma Sound to the East and the shallow Great Bahama Bank to the West. The Exumas has both inland and ocean blue holes. Each cay differs in size. Some are low and barren, while others have rolling hills covered with dense vegetation and small trees.

Main Inland Blue Holes/Caves

Great Exuma Island: Basil Minns Blue Hole Great Guana Cay: Oven Rock CaveNorman’s Pond Cay: Norman’s Pond Cave

Main Ocean Blue Holes

Great Exuma Island: Angelfish Blue HoleCrab Cay Blue HoleMaster Harbour Blue HoleMystery Blue HoleSubway Blue Hole

Grand BahamaGrand Bahama, is the fourth largest island in The Bahamas. The land is low and marshy in some areas, with profuse pine forest covering the higher ground. The north coast is primarily mangrove marshes and shallow creeks bordering the interior of the Little Bahama Bank. The south coast has coral reefs lining a steep drop-off into very deep waters.

Main Inland Blue Holes

Lucayan CavernsOwl’s Hole – Mermaid’s Lair

3.aZodian CavernsAsgard Blue HoleLucy’s Cave

Main Ocean Blue HolesCemetery Blue HoleChimney Blue Hole

Great InaguaGreat Inagua is one of the larger of the Bahama Islands. Although most of the island is low and flat, there are three high hills and several large lakes are located within the interior. Much of Great Inagua is a Bahamas National Trust Park. On Little Inagua a Land and Sea Park exists.

MayaguanaThis island is the eastern-most island and maintains large stands of lignum vitae and other hardwoods. There is one known inland Blue Hole on this island called: Mount Misery Cave.

New ProvidenceNew Providence is covered with scrub and pinewoods. However, luxurious residential areas, resort apartment/hotel complexes and modern developments dominate the coastline. There is one main inland Blue Hole located on New Providence called: Mermaid’s Pool.

San SalvadorThe island of San Salvador is relatively high with an altitude of 46 m. Much of the interior of the island is made up of lakes.

Main Inland Blue HolesLighthouse CaveMajor’s Cave

Long IslandLong Island has bold headlands, towering cliffs and rolling hills. It also has the distinction of having of the worlds’ deepest blue hole, which is called Dean’s Blue Hole. It is the largest found in the world todate.

Dean's Blue Hole lies in a beautiful bay southeast of Long Island's Capital Clarence Town. It plunges 663 feet (200 meters) to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. The blue hole is oval at its surface, with a diameter ranging from 80 to 120 feet (25 to 37 meters). Descending 60 feet (18 meters), the hole widens considerably into a cavern with a diameter of up to 330 feet (100 meters). Although visited by experienced divers from all over the world, Jim King become the only person to sink all the way down to the ocean floor in September 1992, performing a mixed gas dive.

Many world records were achieved, but the most recent was by New Zealand's William Trubridge and his team Vertical Blue. During the month of April 2008, he set an amazing

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world record in the purest form of free diving, an entirely unassisted 'constant weight no fins' dive, to a new mark of 282 feet (86 meters). A few days later, he pushed the new limit for 'free immersion' diving, descending and ascending by pulling on a line, to unbelievable 354 feet (108 meters). [On Monday 13 December 2010, Mr. Trubridge accomplished what had long been regarded as an impossible feat: he swam to a depth of 100 meters, or 328 feet, on a single breath using only his hands and feet for power.]

Along the upper edge of the blue hole is some reef life. Explorers may also encounter tropical fish, small schools of tarpons and occasionally, a turtle.

-5-The primary purpose of this booklet is to supplement social science studies for primary, middle and high school students as it relates to Bahamian geography and in particular Blue Holes and Caves found in The Bahamas, Caribbean and other regions. The supplement should be used in conjunction with other social studies and geography texts recommended by the Bahamas Ministry of Education.

PHASE 2 – PART 2

There are many different descriptions of a Blue Hole and/or Cave and some believe that they are submarine caves or underwater sinkholes, which are also referred to as vertical caves. Blue Holes/Caves are located around the world, from Belize and The Bahamas to the Red Sea.

We will first explore one of the most beautiful underwater caves in the world which is found in Barbados and called: - Harrisons Cave.

BarbadosHarrisons Cave: - The caves were first mentioned in historical documents in 1795. For almost 200 years they were forgotten. In 1976, a Danish speleologist by the name of Ole Sørensen, along with Barbadian Tony Mason re-discovered them. It is the leading tourist attraction in Barbados.

According to the Wikipeida source, “the caves are naturally formed by water erosion through the limestone rock. The calcium-rich water that runs through the caves have formed the unusual stalactites and stalagmites formations. Travel through the caves is by tram, at certain points during the tour visitors are allowed to alight from the tram and get close up to the formations. One main area of the caves is a huge cavern, termed "The Great Hall", measuring over 100 feet in height. After the Great Hall the tram stops at "The Village". At The Village some of the formations have joined together to form columns after thousands of years.”

BelizeWikipedia cites the Great Blue Hole is a large underwater sinkhole off the coast of Belize. It lies near the center of Lighthouse Reef, a small atoll 70 kilometres (43 mi) from the mainland and Belize City. The hole is circular in shape, over 300 metres (984 ft) across and 24 metres (407 ft) deep. It was formed during several episodes of Quaternary glaciation when sea levels were much lower - the analysis of stalactites found in Great Blue Hole shows that formation has taken place 153,000; 66,000; 60,000; and 15,000 years ago. As the ocean began to rise again, the caves were flooded. The Great Blue Hole is a part of the larger Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System, a World Heritage Site of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

BermudaThe information gathered at CaveBiology.com states “during the early Pleistocene (about 1-2 million years ago), the top of the volcanic seamount was eroded down below

sea level and corals began to grow around the margins, thus producing the only atoll in the North Atlantic.”

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On the island of Bermuda several Blue Holes/Caves have been found which have been formed in limestone caprock.

Accordingly, more than 150 limestone caves are known from Bermuda. These caves are of impressive size, containing abundant stalactites and stalagmites. Most of the cave entrances are situated inland, however, many of the caves extend down to sea level and contain clear, deep, anchialine pools in their interior.

Various diving searches of the underwater sections of Bermuda's caves have resulted in the discovery of extensive networks of cave passage at depths averaging 18 m. Bermuda's longest cave, the Green Bay Cave System is totally submerged and contains more than 2 km of explored passageways. The caves found are: Church Cave, Crystal Cave and Wilkinson’s Quarry Cave.

Turks and Caicos IslandsBlue Holes have been identified in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Two Blue Holes are found on Middle Caicos, which happens to be the largest island in the Turks and Caicos group. The main inland Blue Hole is called Conch Bar Cave and the other main ocean Blue Hole is named Ocean Hole.

Providenciales, more commonly known as "Provo", is a large, high island and, is the most developed island in Turks and Caicos. On Provo you will find the following inland Blue Holes/Caves:

Airport CaveBlue Hills CaveThe Hole

Blues Holes and Caves on other Continents

Egypt

Red Sea: Blue Hole is a diving location on east Sinai, a few kilometres north of Dahab, Egypt on the coast of the Red Sea.

It is around 130 m deep with a shallow opening around 6 m deep, known as 'the saddle', opening out to the sea, and a 26 m long tunnel, known as the arch, the top of which lies at a depth of 52 m. The hole itself and the surrounding area has an abundance of coral and reef fish. It is notorious for the number of diving fatalities which have occurred there earning it the sobriquet, "World's Most Dangerous Dive Site" and the nickname "Diver's Cemetery". The site is signposted by a sign that says "Blue hole: Easy entry".

Accidents are frequently caused when divers attempt to find the tunnel through the reef [known as "The Arch"] connecting the Blue Hole and open water at about 52 m depth.

Yucatán Peninsula

Caves and karst features are common in nearly all parts of the Peninsula. The most notable karst feature is the cenote. Cenote is derived the Mayan word "dzonot" and refers to any subterranean chamber that contains permanent water. While some cenotes are vertical, water-filled shafts, others are caves that contain pools and underwater passageways in their interior. It is believed that cave exploration in the Yucatan may have begun with the Mayans as some 3,000 years ago.

The scarcity of surface water in the Yucatan has necessitated use of cenotes and caves as primary water sources. Indeed, pottery shards, charcoal, torches, and artwork can be found in virtually all parts of the caves.

Since caves and cenotes were the only source of water, and therefore essential to survival, they played a vital role in the life of the Maya. Caves were used as sources of drinking water, sources of "virgin" water for religious rites, burial and/or sacrificial sites, art galleries, places of refuge, and mines for clay or minerals.

Glossary of Geography Words and Terms

Abyssal Plain: - Another name for the ocean floor.

Aqua: - Water [Latin] Aquaculture: - Highly-managed use of water environments to enhance food production e.g. fish farms.

Aquatic: - With reference to water.

Aquatic fauna: - all animal species which require the continual presence of water for survival and reproduction.

Aquatic plants: - fall into four categories. Emergents (rooted in sediment and protrude above the surface), free-floaters, floating-leaved (rooted in sediment with leaves floating on the surface), and submergents.

Aquifer - a permeable rock which stores and transfers water. Most useful, when underlain by impermeable rock to trap the water and allow it to be tapped.

Attol: - A ring shaped reef composed largely of coral.

Backshore: – the beach above the high water, or high tide, mark which is usually. untouched by wave action

Backwater: - area of still water created by an impediment to drainage.

Barrier beach: - low-lying, bar-shaped sand and/or coral island lying parallel to but slightly away from a coastline. The landward side tends to be marshy or a lagoon.

Bay: - a curved indent to the coastline, usually created by greater erosion rates than neighbouring parts of the coast. Bays often contain beaches and provide an area of shelter both for boats and for settlements. Cenote:- A cenote is a sinkhole with exposed rocky edges containing groundwater. It is typically found in the Yucatán Peninsula.

Coastline: - The line that separates a land surface from an ocean or sea.

Coral Reef: - Ridge of limestone found generally below the ocean surface.

Delta: - a depositional feature found at river mouths under certain conditions.

Ebb tide: - a falling tide.

Effluent: - water released to the environment after treatment.

Elevation: - height above sea-level.

Groundwater: -the store of water that has moved by percolation into the lower layers of the soil or the bedrock.

Groundwater flow: - the flow of water through the groundwater store.

Groundwater discharge: - the re-emergence of groundwater to the surface at springs or resurgences, or by seepage.

Groundwater recharge: - the addition of water to the groundwater store.

Karst: - is a distinctive topography in which the landscape is largely shaped by the dissolving action of water on carbonate bedrock [usually limestone, dolomite, or marble].