Cave diver exploring Chan Aktun Ha
Martin Broen
The Yucatán peninsula in south-east Mexico is riddled with holes. When an enormous asteroid struck Earth 66 million years in the past close to what’s now the city of Chicxulub, the influence created an enormous melancholy and induced fracturing of the porous limestone bedrock. Over tens of millions of years, rainwater has dissolved the stone, creating underground rivers, caves and cenotes (sinkholes).
Photographer Martin Broen has explored 280 of the Yucatán’s cenotes, atmospheric pictures of that are collected in his guide Mild within the Underworld, out now within the US and on 17 September within the UK. This picture, taken in 2020, exhibits the cave space of a cenote referred to as Chan Aktun Ha (a Mayan title that means “little water cave”) within the state of Quintana Roo. Right here, a cave diver is exploring amongst pristine stalactites and stalagmites.
“During rain showers in the Mexican jungle, water washes tannin from the vegetation into the cenotes, creating a tannic acid solution,” says Broen. “These natural filters provide a surreal green, yellow or red atmosphere to the caverns.”
The shallow caves of the Yucatán Peninsula have been flooded for the previous 8000 years. “The more I dive, the more I discover the beauty and secrets of these caves, uncovering unique fossils of extinct megafauna, indications of the first Palaeo-Americans, and Mayan artefacts,” says Broen.
However, he provides, cenotes aren’t only a window into the previous however “the veins that carry all fresh water in the region”. With air pollution, deforestation and growth all a menace, Broen hopes his images will help individuals care about what lies beneath their ft.
Mild within the Underworld: Diving the Mexican Cenotes by Martin Broen is revealed by Rizzoli priced at £46.00
New Scientist video
Divers uncover manatees in Yucatán cave habitat youtube.com/newscientist
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