The Bahamas is a place that is on top of everyone. When you think of the attractive location, this is what comes to mind. However, there is more to the place than the sandy beaches, and pristine waters. It’s history that will fascinate you more. From the early inhabitants to the current system, everything in the country will appeal to every visitor. In addition to that, the scientists have some interesting insights to share about the country. One of the most intriguing questions is why does the island even exist? This means, how did it come to existence, and how the early inhabitation started? Leaving apart the latter, the scientist believes that they have found the reason for this question, and they know the answer. Surprisingly, they believe that the Africa Sahara Desert made the Bahamas possible.
In a study, the researchers suggest by data that the island was created over the years due to the dust carried from the Sahara Desert. This included the northern expanse of Africa. However, the research says that the dust isn’t what made the island, but something called Cyanobacteria. This is a microbe, and as the bacteria in the formation grow, they form calcium carbonate that became the building block of the islands.
In its infancy, it started to settle down for more than 100 million years and formed a shelf underwater. This is known as the Great Bahama Bank, and the island is the uppermost of the shelf. So, in a sense, the dust from Africa became a crucial part of the formation of the islands. It’s equally important to mention that the cyanobacteria will need the necessary ingredients or the nutrients to grow.
This is surprising that the Great Bahama where it sits is poor in nutrients, and it quite remained a mystery where these were coming from. However, they collected the samples and realized that the samples had a high level of iron that is used to form calcium carbonate. In addition to that, the dust that comes from the Sahara Desert has high levels of iron. Providing further insights, the researchers suggest that this dust settles on the island, goes in the water as well as in the ocean. This is what enhances the microbes, and allows the production of calcium carbonate.