Saba Bank

In the past, the bank has been damaged by anchors from ships and tankers while loading oil, and began to deteriorate in color and size.

The eastern side of the bank is fringed with a ridge of living coral, sand and rock, nearly 48 km (30 mi) in length.

The floor of the Saba Bank consists of a limestone deposition 1 to 2 kilometres (0.62 to 1.24 mi) thick.

When the bank lay above water during the ice ages and the sea level was 120 metres (390 ft) lower than it is now, flowing freshwater dissolved the limestone and created large holes.

Interestingly enough, these sinkholes that developed on land were subsequently submerged after the last ice age (20,000 years ago), when the sea level rose again.