© Shutterstock

© Shutterstock

It's the deepest trench on Earth -

The Mariana Trench is the deepest trench on Earth. Covered by ocean water, it's a geographical feature known as an oceanic trench.

© Shutterstock

Location -

The trench is located 124 miles (200 km) from the Mariana Islands in the Pacific Ocean.

© Shutterstock

A royal name -

The islands were named after Queen Mariana of Austria, who was married to King Philip IV of Spain. Subsequently, the trench was named after the nearby islands.

© Getty Images

Finding the bottom -

The area where the trench is considered to be the deepest is named Challenger Deep, although its exact location is difficult to define. 

© Shutterstock

It's astonishingly deep -

The recorded depth of the trench so far is 36,037 feet (10,984 meters). That's almost seven miles, or 11 kilometers. 

© Shutterstock

It's deeper than Mount Everest is tall -

By comparison, Mount Everest stands at 29,026 feet (8,848 m) above sea level, meaning the deepest part of the Mariana Trench is 7,044 feet (2,147 m) deeper than Everest is tall.

© Getty Images

It's overwhelmingly huge -

The trench is approximately 1,580 miles long (2,550 km), with a width of 43 miles (69 km). 

© Shutterstock

It has an unexpected shape -

The trench is crescent-shaped. It's located near two tectonic plates, with the larger Pacific Plate sitting under the Mariana Trench. 

© Shutterstock

Its temperature -

The temperature ranges from 34 to 39°F (1 to 3°C) at the bottom. However, the rest of the trench varies more drastically. There are steam vents throughout the trench and it can reach 572°F (300°C) due to the hydrothermal energy.

© Shutterstock

The plates form other geographical features -

The movement of the two plates was instrumental in creating the volcanic Mariana Islands. Studies of these plates have revealed some of the oldest crustal materials on the planet, up to 170 million years old.

© Shutterstock

It was discovered in 1875 -

The Mariana Trench was first discovered in 1875 during the Challenger expedition, named after the ship HMS Challenger. The explorers used a weighted rope to measure the depth of the trench, and it was recorded at 26,850 feet (8,183 m). 

© Shutterstock

A more accurate measurement -

A more accurate measurement was made by Challenger II in 1951. An echo sounder was used and recorded a depth of 35,760 feet (10,899 m) at Challenger Deep. Pictured is an example of an echo sounder from that era. 

© Getty Images

Technology helps us to scan its depths -

As technology improved, clearer pictures and more accurate readings have been possible. Both sonar and multibeam echo sounders, together with remotely operated cameras, have provided increasing detail of the trench. 

© Shutterstock

The first humans to explore the Mariana Trench -

In 1960, Jacques Piccard and Don Walsh descended to the trench's deepest point in a bathyscaphe named Trieste. A bathyscaphe is a self-propelled underwater vehicle that can reach greater depths than a submarine. 

© Getty Images

The US Navy has helped to explore the Mariana Trench -

The 1960 exploration was sponsored by the US Navy. They were successful in mapping the entire site. 

© Getty Images

Record depths in the Mariana Trench were reached in 2019 -

In 2019, Texas explorer and investor Victor Vescovo piloted the DSV Limiting Factor to a depth of 35,853 feet (10,928 m), creating a new world record by 52 feet (16 m). That same year, he dove for the second time, becoming the first person to dive into Challenger Deep twice. 

© Getty Images

It's possible to explore the Mariana Trench without divers -

In 2020, a Russian exploration vessel called Vityaz spent three hours in the trench, thus becoming the first vessel to explore it autonomously.

© Getty Images

'Titanic' director James Cameron is one of the few people who have visited it -

James Cameron piloted a submersible, one that he personally helped design, to about 35,787 feet (10,908 m), setting a world record in 2012.

© Getty Images

It's home to unique aquatic life and mud volcanoes -

Despite the lack of light and the hostile environment, numerous organisms live inside the Mariana Trench. In fact, there are more than 200 microorganisms and other living creatures active inside the trench. 

© Shutterstock

It's a hadal zone -

Named after Hades, the Greek god of the underworld, the term 'hadel zone' refers to the deepest regions of the ocean which are found in oceanic trenches. 

© Shutterstock

It's a hotspot for scientific research -

The trench serves as an international hotspot for scientific research, attracting multidisciplinary studies aimed at unraveling its geological, biological, and oceanographic secrets. 

© Shutterstock

It has inspired innovation -

The exploration of the Mariana Trench fuels innovation in science, engineering, and technology. Pictured are Richard Branson and explorer Chris Welsh with a solo piloted submarine that was put on hold to visit the trench. 

© Getty Images

Pollution is seriously harming it -

Unfortunately, the depths of the ocean can act like sinkholes for discarded pollutants and plastic waste. This has become a serious concern in the Mariana Trench. 

© Shutterstock

PCBs are a problem at the Mariana Trench -

Researchers have found worrying levels of toxins known as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the systems of scavenger crustaceans. Banned in 1970 for the environmental risk they cause, high rates of this toxin were found at multiple depths in the trench's sediment. 

© Shutterstock

It's been a nuclear dumping site -

From 1946 through 1993, several countries used ocean disposal or ocean dumping as a method to dispose of nuclear and radioactive waste. The Mariana Trench was one of these places. 

© Shutterstock

People genuinely care about the trench's future -

Environmentalists continue to push for increasing awareness and interest in protecting the environment from man-made threats. The water quality and wildlife of the Mariana Trench are under constant surveillance by the local government.

© Shutterstock

It's designated as a US national monument -

The Marianas Trench Marine National Monument was established in 2009. This is largely in part to protect the rare organisms that thrive within its depths.

© Shutterstock

It's a window into Earth's History -

Studying the Mariana Trench offers a unique opportunity to peer into the depths of the Earth's history, thanks to the sedimentary layers and geological formations. 

© Shutterstock

The trench has fueled fiction -

The trench's mystery and allure have inspired fictional accounts, including 'Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror' (1997) by New York Times bestselling author Steve Alten.

© Shutterstock

It was also seen in the silver screen -

In 2018, a film adaptation of Alten's book titled 'The Meg' was released. It stars Jason Statham, who's enlisted to stop a gigantic prehistoric shark from attacking the Chinese coast. 

Sources: (CNN) (National Geographic) (Live Science) 

See also: Submerged sensations! Amazing underwater attractions to dive for

© NL Beeld