The Mariana Trench is the deepest location on Earth, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is part of a network of deep troughs that form when two tectonic plates collide. The trench was created by the process that occurs in a subduction zone. The United States has jurisdiction over the trench and its resources according to the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Scientists use various technologies to explore and study this unique environment.
Location and size of the Mariana Trench
The Mariana Trench is located in the western Pacific Ocean, about 200 kilometers (124 miles) east of the Mariana Islands. It is a crescent-shaped scar in the Earth's crust that measures more than 1,500 miles (2,550 kilometers) long and 43 miles (69 kilometers) wide on average. The trench stretches for more than 1,580 miles (2,540 km) with a mean width of 43 miles (69 km). The maximum known depth of the Mariana Trench is 10,915 meters (35,810 feet), recorded by the surface ship M.V. Spencer F. Baird using precision depth gauges in 1962. In 1984, the Japanese survey vessel Takuyō collected data from the Mariana Trench using a narrow multi-beam echo sounder and reported a maximum depth of 10,924 meters (35,840 feet), also reported as 10,920 ± 10 meters (35,827 ± 33 feet).
The deepest location on Earth is the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench which is approximately seven miles deep or about 11,034 meters (36,201 feet) deep. If Mount Everest were placed at the bottom of Challenger Deep it would be completely submerged with over a mile of water above it.
The Mariana Trench is the deepest part of the ocean, and it has been a subject of interest for oceanographers and scientists for many years. The trench is more than 7 miles (11 kilometers) deep, and it is a toxic environment where only some creatures can thrive. The Mariana Trench is often used as a North-South passage by submarines as it is part of a long system of trenches that circle the Pacific Ocean.
The Mariana Trench has been declared a protected marine reserve since 2009, which includes the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument. Fishing and mining are now barred in that area. Scientists are studying the trench and coral reef ecosystems in the surrounding areas to learn more about tropical marine ecosystems.
Researchers hope to systematically explore large swaths of the world's deepest trenches to get a more complete view of what is found there. Such work has been published as an open access report by Zhang et al., who discovered genome reduction in Psychromonas species within the gut of an amphipod from the Ocean’s deepest point. The proposed Mariana Trench Marine National Monument in the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands could provide key answers about Earth's deepest ocean.
Fascinating Facts about the Mariana Trench
The Mariana Trench is the deepest part of the Earth's oceans, with a depth of more than 7 miles (11 kilometers). It is located in the western Pacific and formed where two tectonic plates collide, creating a valley that has no equal on our planet. The seafloor in the west Pacific is 180 million years old, some of the oldest in the world. This ancient crust contains thin plates that float on molten rock (mantle). Sometimes these plates crash into each other, which causes one plate to plunge into the mantle while the other rides over the top.
The Mariana Trench is home to some of the strangest creatures ever discovered on planet earth. Some of these creatures include deep-sea amoebas, shrimp-like creatures, sea cucumbers, xenophyophores, amphipods, small sea cucumbers (holothurians), snailfish, goblin sharks, deep-sea dragonfish, barreleye fish, benthocodon and seadevil anglerfish. These animals live in complete darkness and extreme pressure consuming chemicals like methane or sulfur or those produced by other organisms for survival.
The Mariana Trench is an incredibly hostile environment due to its high pressure and lack of sunlight. However, it is also a unique ecosystem with many species that have adapted to survive in this extreme environment. Studying these creatures can help us understand how life can exist in such harsh conditions and may lead to new discoveries about life on Earth and beyond.
The Mariana Trench, located in the Western Pacific near Guam, is the deepest place on earth and has been the focus of high-profile voyages to conquer its deepest point, Challenger Deep. In recent years, several expeditions have explored the trench and its ecosystem. The Hadal Ecosystem Studies (HADES) expedition led by co-chief scientists Drs. Jeff Drazen and Patty Fryer of the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa’s School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) was the first detailed study of the Mariana Trench aboard Schmidt Ocean Institute’s R/V Falkor. The expedition targeted multiple depths and found active thriving communities of animals. It set many new records such as the deepest rock samples ever collected and new species including the deepest fish ever recorded.
In May 2019, Victor Vescovo broke a record for reaching the deepest point in the Mariana Trench with his submersible DSV Limiting Factor. During his dive, he discovered plastic waste on the seafloor. In addition to exploring Challenger Deep, dives have also taken place in other deep-sea trenches such as Puerto Rico Trench in Atlantic Ocean, South Sandwich Trench in Southern Ocean, and Java Trench in Indian Ocean.
The Mariana Trench is more than 7 miles (11 kilometers) deep[4]. Gardner et al. (2014) provided an accurate measurement of depth for Challenger Deep using a combination of satellite altimetry data and direct measurements from sonar soundings made by research vessels. Greenaway et al. (2021) revised this depth using submersible transects to provide a more precise measurement.