'Blue Hole' reveals answer to Mayan collapse, Rice professor believes

The Blue Hole in the Caribbean is a paradise for scuba divers in Belize. Credit: El Universal The Blue Hole in the Caribbean is a paradise for scuba divers in Belize. Credit: El Universal Photo: handout email / Sylvia Struthers Photo: handout email / Sylvia Struthers Image 1 of / 47 Caption Close 'Blue Hole' reveals answer to Mayan collapse, Rice professor believes 1 / 47 Back to Gallery

A 100-year drought helped bring about the ancient Mayan civilization's first collapse in Belize, according to research involving a Rice University professor.

Andre Droxler, earth science professor and director of Rice's Center for the study of Environment and Society, is co-author of a study of minerals taken from an underwater cave in Belize known as the "Blue Hole."

The study results show that an extreme drought between A.D.800 and A.D. 900 coincided with the Mayan collapse, according to Live Science. The Mayans re-established their civilization farther north but the sediment study shows that another dry spell coincided with their second collapse a few centuries later, Live Science reported.

Researchers think the drought was triggered by a shift in something known as the "intertropical convergence zone" which dumps water on tropical regions while drying out the subtropics, the magazine said.

The research, which also involved Louisiana State University, suggested that another major drought hit the region between 1000 and 1100 A.D., when the Mayan city of Chichen Itza is believed to have fallen, Live Science said.

According to the Huffington Post, deep-sea conservationist Jacques Cousteau considered the Blue Hole one of the world's best scuba diving spots.