Sistema Sac Actun

Sistema Sac Actun

Gran Cenote
Location Tulum Municipality, Quintana Roo, Mexico
Depth 71.6 meters (235 ft)[1]
Length underwater: 215.378 kilometers (133.830 mi)[1]
total: 217.495 kilometers (135.145 mi)[2]
Discovery November 26, 1987
Geology Limestone
Number of entrances 162 Cenotes[1]
Difficulty Advanced cave diving

Sistema Sac Actun (from Spanish and Yucatec Maya meaning "White Cave System") is an underwater cave system situated along the Caribbean coast of the Yucatán Peninsula with passages to the north and west of the village of Tulum. Exploration started from Gran Cenote () 5 kilometers (3.1 mi) west of Tulum. The whole of the presently explored cave system lies within the Municipality of Tulum (state of Quintana Roo).

In early 2007, the underwater cave Sistema Nohoch Nah Chich was connected into and subsumed into Sac Actun making it the longest surveyed underwater cave system in the world[3] for some months. Sac Actun currently measures 215.4 kilometers (133.8 mi) (after connecting Sistema Aktun Hu with 34 kilometers (21 mi) in January 2011) and is presently second surpassed by Sistema Ox Bel Ha at 222.3 kilometers (138.1 mi).[1] These two cave systems since early 2007 have been frequently exchanging the title as the longest underwater cave system in the world.[4] Including two connected dry caves (Sistema Yax Muul and Sistema Pierre′s East) makes Sistema Sac Actun with 218.0 kilometers (135.5 mi) the second longest cave in Mexico[2] and the sixth longest worldwide.[5]

Pleistocene remains

In March 2008, three members of the Projecto Espeleológico de Tulum and Global Underwater Explorers dive team, Alex Alvarez, Franco Attolini, and Alberto Nava, explored a section of Sistema Aktun Hu known as the pit Hoyo Negro.[6][7] At a depth of 57 meters (187 ft) the divers located the remains of a mastodon as well as at 43 meters (141 ft) a human skull that might be the oldest evidence of early man in this area to date.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "List of Long Underwater Caves in Quintana Roo Mexico". Quintana Roo Speleological Survey. National Speleological Society (NSS). May 23, 2011. http://www.caves.org/project/qrss/qrlong.htm. Retrieved June 4, 2011. 
  2. ^ a b "Dry Caves and Sumps of Quintana Roo Mexico". Quintana Roo Speleological Survey. National Speleological Society. May 23, 2011. http://www.caves.org/project/qrss/qrdry.htm. Retrieved June 4, 2011. 
  3. ^ John Roach (March 5, 2007). "World's Longest Underground River Discovered in Mexico". National Geographic News (National Geographic). http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/03/070305-cave-river.html. Retrieved January 14, 2011. 
  4. ^ Michael Poucher, Bob Gulden (March 2, 2011). "World longest underwater caves". Geo2 Committee on Long and Deep Caves. NSS. http://www.caverbob.com/uwcaves.htm. Retrieved March 4, 2011. 
  5. ^ Bob Gulden (April 22, 2011). "Worlds longest caves". Geo2 Committee on Long and Deep Caves. NSS. http://www.caverbob.com/wlong.htm. Retrieved June 4, 2011. 
  6. ^ "Cave Archeology of Early Americans". News from the Field. Winter 2011 (El Centro Investigador del Sistema Aquífero de Quintana Roo). December 2010. http://www.cindaq.org/CINDAQ%20English/cindaqnewsletter_final.pdf#page=6. Retrieved February 19, 2011. 
  7. ^ a b Fabio Esteban Amador (February 18, 2011). "Skull in Underwater Cave May Be Earliest Trace of First Americans". NatGeo News Watch (National Geographic). http://blogs.nationalgeographic.com/blogs/news/chiefeditor/2011/02/skull-in-mexico-cave-may-be-oldest-american-found.html. Retrieved February 19, 2011.