The Deepest Place on Earth
The deepest place on earth is Mariana Trench. You may have already learned about it in your high school geography class. It locates in the Pacific Ocean, near the Mariana Islands and Japan. If you want to get an idea visually, simply check the highlighted map below. It is crescent-shaped place on the map.
How deep is the Mariana Trench?
When it was measured using sound pulses in 2010 by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the deepest spot was estimated to be 36,070 feet (10,994 m).
In order to get a visual estimate of its depth, compare it to the Mount Everest. The height of the Mount Everest is 29,026 feet (8,848 m) tall. That means if you put the Mount Everest at the bottom of the deepest place on earth, its peak will not come out of the water.
How big the Mariana Trench?
According to the estimates, Marianna trench stretches to the 1580 miles area which is five times longer than Grand Canyons. However, its overall width is only 43 miles wide.
Who Controls the Mariana Trench?
The US has a legal jurisdiction over the deepest place on earth. Because close-by Mariana islands belong to U.S commonwealth, and Guam is a U.S territory. Under the President George W. Bush’s leadership in 2009, the Mariana Trench was established into the protected marine reserve.
What lives at the bottom of the deepest place on earth?
The trench has a harsh environment for any living life. Because the pressure in that depth is extremely high and its environment is dominated by darkness due to lacking sunshine. Food is also very limited in that part of the ocean.
Indeed, it is interesting to find out what lives at that extreme depth. A famous filmmaker, James Cameron, descended to the bottom.
The footage was studied by Natalya Gallo. According to LiveScience, she found the following creatures:
amphipods, creatures look like a shrimp.
Sea Cucumbers. “They are marine animals with a leathery skin and an elongated body containing a single, branched gonad”.
xenophyophores. “Xenophyophores are giant, multinucleate Foraminifera that is confined exclusively to depths below 500 meters
Who discovered it?
The Mariana Trench was discovered by the Survey ship called HMS Challenger. Their expedition between 1872-1876 made the first attempt to measure the depth of the area. However, the Challenger II expedition of 1957 could detect the deepest place on earth using a precise sounding equipment. In order to honor their effort, the deepest point in the Mariana Trench is called Challenger Deep.
The best documentary about the Mariana Trench. Watch it here for free:
