Cenote

A cenotepronounced in Mexican Spanish  and in English , plural: cenotes; from Yucatec Maya dzonot is a type of sinkhole that contains groundwater. It is typical in the Mexican Yucatán Peninsula and some nearby Caribbean islands. The term comes from a word used by the lowland Yucatec Maya to refer to any location where groundwater can be got at. 

 Definition and description 
Cenotes are surface connections to underground water bodies. Gaona-Vizcayno S., T. Gordillo de Anda and M. Villasuso-Pino 1980. Cenotes, karst característico: mecanismo de formación. Instituto de Geología, 4, 32-36. While the most well-known cenotes are large open water pools measuring tens of metres in diameter, such as those at Chichén Itzá, most cenotes are smaller sheltered sites and do not necessarily have any surface exposed water. The term cenote has also been used to describe similar karst Karst: feature where water has eroded (dissolved) carbonate rocks such as limestone or dolomite. features in other countries such as Cuba and Australia, in addition to the more generic term of sinkholes. 

Cenote water is often very clear, as the water comes from rain water infiltrating slowly through the ground. The groundwater flow rate within a cenote may be very slow at velocities ranging from 1 to 1000 meters per year. Cenotes around the world attract cave divers. They have explored extensive flooded cave systems, some of which have been investigated for 100 kilometers or more.

 Cause 
Cenotes in or near the Yukatán may have been caused by the Chicxulub meteor impact 60 million years ago.Pope KO; Ocampo AC; Kinsland GL; Smith R 1996. Surface expression of the Chicxulub crater. Geology 24 (6): 527–30. 

 Famous cenotes 
 Mexico 
Yucatán Peninsula:
  Dos Ojos, near Tulum, Mexico
 Dzibilchaltun, Yucatán, Mexico
 Sacred Cenote, Chichen Itza, Mexico
 Xtacunbilxunan, Bolonchen, Mexico

Central and Northern Region:
 Zacatón, Tamaulipas, Mexico

 Canada 
 Devil's Bath, northern Vancouver Island, Canada

 United States 
 Bottomless Lakes, near Roswell, New Mexico

 References 

 Other websites 

 Sistema Zacatón 
 Volcanic karstification of Sistema Zacaton, Mexico (Gary, Sharp, 2006) 
 Stages in the Formation of a Cenote 
 Doline, Sinkhole, Cenote
 Cenotes of Chichén Itzá 
 Quintana Roo Speleological Survey (QRSS)
 Year 1999 Cenotes Conference in Perugia, Italy
 Maps of Chicxulub and Ring of Cenotes 

Category:Geology
Category:Physical geography
Category:Geography of Mexico