Supermassive Black Hole Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Bahamas

Black holes on earth are believed to be caused when sea water dissolves carbonate mud flats and fills the hole with water, including a three feet/one meter thick layer of sulfur bacteria which makes the water appear black. As carbonate mud flats with sulfur bacteria aren't common, black holes are a rarity.

However, there are thirty or so in the Bahamas, with the Black Hole of Andros being the most famous with a depth of at least 155 feet/47 meters.

Answer: Belize

Blue holes are underwater sinkholes or vertical caves. The water appears deep blue as opposed to black because blue holes don't have the layer of sulfur bacteria that black holes have. The Great Blue Hole is actually a collapsed limestone cave that reaches a depth of 407 feet/124 meters.

The deepest blue hole in the world is believed to be Dean's Blue Hole in the Bahamas; it reaches 663 feet/202 meters.

Answer: Alabama

The Tennessee-Alabama-Georgia (TAG) area is home to hundreds of caves and sinkholes thanks to the karst terrain, where water has dissolved the limestone and other soluble rocks. The Neversink Pit in Jackson County, Alabama, is 40 feet/12 meters wide at the top and widens to 100 feet/30 meters at its bottom.

A rare species of fern grows along the ledges in the frequently photographed sinkhole and water cascades down its sides. It's also a popular site for nocturnal visits due to the glowworms and bats which hang on the walls.

Answer: Guatemala

Some sources claim that the holes don't meet the definition of a sinkhole, as they are not the result of bedrock erosion from water. Instead, at least one geologist referred to them as "piping features" that were caused by burst subterranean pipes or sewers, with water from a tropical storm contributing to the 2010 collapse. Still, their appearance is that of massive sinkholes, with the 60 feet/18 meters wide hole in 2010 swallowing up a clothing factory, and the 330 feet/100 meter deep hole in 2007 resulting in three deaths.

Answer: Egypt

Located west of Cairo, the Qattara Depression is a mere 436 feet/133 meters deep, leading some sources to dispute its title as a sinkhole, preferring to call it a basin. Additionally, its borders are not well-defined, with some sources listing its length at over 150 miles/240 km.

The Qattara Depression is primordial in appearance, with a stark landscape surrounding pits of quicksand, and it was created by winds that eroded salt beds down to the water table. Scientists are actually exploring the possibility of creating a lake in the depression by slowly filling it with water from the Mediterranean and using it for hydro-electric power.

Answer: Venezuela

The Sarisarinama holes are located on top of a remote table mountain in southwestern Venezuela near the Brazil border. They were discovered in 1961 by a pilot flying over the area (although it is likely that natives knew they were there). The bottoms of the sinkholes contain unique forest ecosystems with flora and fauna that exist nowhere else, but the area is restricted for scientific research only.

Answer: Texas

Located near Rocksprings, Texas, Devil's Sinkhole only measures 40 feet by 60 feet (12 by 18 meters) at its surface, but an initial 160 feet/49 meter drop leads to a main cavern that reaches a depth of 400 feet/120 meters. There are also freshwater lakes surrounding the cavern that are home to rare crustaceans.

Although the sinkhole by itself is impressive, it's the night show that makes it special. During summer, Devil's Sinkhole is home to over a million Mexican free-tailed bats that emerge in a massive, swirling cloud every night. Several thousand cave swallows also share the residence with the bats.

Answer: Mexico

Depending on the source, El Zacaton is either the deepest or the second deepest water-filled sinkhole in the world. Continuing erosion can change the measurements of sinkholes, and some sinkholes actually shrink in size as they fill in with sediment. El Zacaton is located on the Yucatan Peninsula, the site where the Chicxulub crater was created 65 million years ago by an asteroid impact.

The peninsula is filled with scenic sinkholes called cenotes that formed in the area of the crash. El Zacaton is believed to have formed from a collapsed volcano.

Answer: Italy

Located in Lazio, Italy, Pozzo del Merro is 400 feet/120 meters long and 230 feet/70 meters wide. The water level begins 270 feet/80 meters down, and it was long believed to merely be a deep lake. After divers realized that the "lake" was more than 300 feet/100 meters deep, a series of mini-sub expeditions discovered the true depth; however it is possible that the sink hole is even deeper as there are a number of unexplored passages that extend horizontally along the bottom.

Answer: China

To be a tiankeng, a sinkhole must also have vertical walls and an underground river at its bottom. Most of the 75 or so tiankengs in the world are located in China, hence the Chinese name meaning "heavenly pit", however tiankengs are also located in other countries such as Papua New Guinea and Croatia. Located in Chongqing, China, the massive Xiaozhai tiankeng is 1970 feet/600 meters wide.

It is usually credited as the largest tiankeng, but as sinkholes can grow or recede, the title is always up for grabs! Chongqing is also home to several other impressive tiankengs, including Qinlong and Quingkou tiankengs.