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  • RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT

Earth’s deepest ‘blue hole’ holds a cache of ancient carbon

The Yongle marine cavern provides a window onto unusual ocean chemistry.
Aerial photo of the Yongle Blue Hole (YBH) in the South China Sea.

A research platform floats above the Yongle blue hole, whose 130-metre-wide mouth is surrounded by coral reefs. Credit: P. Yao et al./JGR Biogeosciences

Carbon more than 8,000 years old lies deep inside a yawning sinkhole in the South China Sea.

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Nature 578, 492 (2020)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-020-00495-6

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