The oceans, of which we have yet to discover a very small part, are home to many miracles. The best known of these is the Marina Pit, which is considered the deepest point in the world. Discovered by the British ship HMS Challenger 147 years ago, the pit has been the subject of thousands of scientific studies since then.
This pit, where only a few people and research vehicles have not been able to descend until now, is accepted as the deepest point in the world at 10,994 meters. Today, we researched the information about the Mariana Trench and listed it for you. Here are the facts about the mysterious Mariana Trench…
Information and facts about the Mariana Trench:
- It is in a US protected area.
- Its depth is exactly 10,994 meters
- It was formed as a result of the collision of two large plates
- It contains many submarine volcanoes.
- It is home to living things that can survive despite high pressure.
- Unfortunately the bottom is very dirty.
- In 2012 James Cameron took a dive
- Could fit a Mount Everest inside
- It was first discovered in 1875
- It is called the fourth pole of the Earth
It is in a US protected area.
Guam Island, where most of the Mariana Trench is located, is under the protection of the USA because it is a US territory. With the Marine National Monument established by US President George W. Bush in 2009, the seabed and islands covering an area of approximately 506,000 square kilometers have come under US protection.
Its depth is exactly 10,994 meters
Located in the western Pacific east of the Philippines and an average of 200 kilometers east of the Mariana Islands, the Mariana Trench is 69 kilometers wide on average. The distance between the surface of the ocean and the deepest point of the pit, the Challenger Deep, is about 11 kilometers.
It was formed as a result of the collision of two large plates
The Marina Trench was formed as a result of the collision of two large oceanic plates, called tectonic plates. At the point where these two plates collide, a very deep pit occurs due to the sinking plate. Briefly, the Pacific Ocean plate subducted under the Philippine plate, creating this deep trough.
It contains many submarine volcanoes.
There are various submarine volcanoes among the islands in the Mariana Trench. Fluids close to about 103 degrees Celsius are emanating from these submarine volcanoes. In addition, some researchers think that these volcanoes may have provided suitable conditions for our planet’s first life forms.
It is home to living things that can survive despite high pressure.
Studies in recent years have discovered a variety of life in the extremely harsh conditions of the Mariana Trench. Scientists who examined the diving images of James Cameron, who dived into the Mariana Trench in 2012, stated that the creatures living in the deepest points of the Mariana Trench can survive in complete darkness and at a very high pressure. It is also known that some microbes feed on chemicals such as methane or sulphur.
Unfortunately the bottom is very dirty
Pollution in the Seas and Oceans is a big problem that is well known to all of us. Unfortunately, this pollution has even reached the deepest point in the world, the Mariana Trench. During the researches, many waste materials, including metal and plastic materials, were found in the Mariana Trench. The fact that water pollution has even reached these points is quite worrying.
In 2012 James Cameron took a dive
Famous director and science fiction enthusiast James Cameron took a dive into the Mariana Trench with a submarine he designed with Australian engineers. Descending to the Challenger Deep, the deepest point of the Mariana Trench, after approximately 2.5 hours, Cameron became the first person to dive there solo. Later, the images taken during this dive were made into a documentary by National Geographic.
Could fit a Mount Everest inside
If the world’s highest point, Mount Everest, could be placed in the Mariana Trench, part of the summit would still be submerged. In other words, Mount Everest, which is about 8,848 meters above sea level, can fit into the Mariana Trench very easily.
It was first discovered in 1875
The Mariana Trench was first discovered in 1875 by the British ship HMS Challenger, making an oceanographic voyage. The scientists on board recorded a depth of about eight kilometers using a weighted drill string. About 76 years later, another British ship, the HMS Challenger II, reported the depth to be approximately 11 kilometers.
It is called the fourth pole of the Earth
As you know, the Earth has two poles. However, many scientists consider the Mariana Trench to be the fourth pole of the Earth. The place considered as the third pole of the Earth is Everest. So Everest and the Mariana Trench are the Earth’s geomorphic poles.
How was the Mariana Trench descended for the first time?
In 1960, a US Navy submarine called Trieste landed in the Mariana Trench. During the descent, which lasted for 4 hours in total, one of the submarine’s sight glasses was broken due to the pressure, but there was no problem as double glass was used. About 52 years later, the famous director James Cameron descended into the pit with the Deepsea Challenger vehicle they designed together with Australian engineers.
So what exactly is at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, what do we encounter as humans?
The Mariana Trench is home to Xenophyophorea (Marine amoeba), Amphipoda (Small crustaceans) and small sea cucumbers. Creatures living at this depth survive in high pressure and darkness by consuming various chemicals or those further down the food chain. In addition to all these, there are various plastic materials due to the pollution we cause. In other words, if we could go down to the bottom of the Mariana Trench and observe it in detail, these would be the things we would encounter. Of course, different discoveries can be made in the following years, but trips to the bottom of the Mariana Trench have had to be short-lived due to the high pressure so far.
In this content, we examined interesting facts about the world’s deepest known point, the Mariana Trench. Do not forget to mention your ideas and opinions in the comments. To read our different content like this, you can take a look at the following suggestions:
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