The Mariana Trench is the deepest trough

The Mariana Trench is the deepest trough in the ocean. It is located near the Philippines, in the Pacific Ocean. Many ships pass through these places every year. Even in our time, the deepest trough has not yet revealed all its secrets. Its depth is about 11 km with an error of 40 m, and the pressure at the bottom is 1100 atmospheres. In such conditions, even the current level of technological development does not allow full-scale research.

Relief and biosphere

The average depth in the zone of the Mariana Trench is 3.7 km. During the observations in its area, volcanoes were found, which are located at a depth of more than 6 km. Studies have also shown that at great depths (7 km and deeper) different marine creatures dwell, which was previously considered impossible due to enormous pressure. There are many of them, which are not described in sufficient detail. The deepest trough is the habitat of crabs, ophiuroids, polychaete worms, echirids, sea stars, flat fish, holothurians and bivalves. Many organisms are very strange and differ in bright coloration, although the sunlight does not penetrate to great depths. A very strange feature of the inhabitants of the Mariana Trench is their size. Many of them are much larger than their relatives who live not so far from the surface of the ocean. History of research

The British tried to study the Mariana depression first in 1872 on the sailing ship "Challenger", which was rebuilt for oceanographic and hydrological studies and made measurements of the depths. However, the first significant data by British scientists were obtained only in 1951. Researchers have determined the approximate depth of the cavity. The trough according to their results was able to accommodate the highest mountain - Everest. The hollow was 10863 meters in the depths of the ocean. Prior to these studies, the world only guessed what the deepest trough in the world. After them, interest in the Mariana Trench increased significantly.

In 1957, this place was explored by Soviet scientists. They also found the maximum depth of the hollow - 11022 m. At the same time it was established the existence of living creatures at depths of 7 km and more. This became a sensation, because before these studies, scientists believed that only protozoa can survive at such depths.

About what is called the deepest trough, in the middle of the 20th century, almost everyone knew already. In 1960, people sank to the bottom of the hollow. This was done by researcher Jacques Picard and US military Don Walsh in the armored bathyscaphe "Trieste". The instruments showed that the device was submerged to a depth of more than 11.5 km, but then it was corrected to 10918 m. The researchers spent only a little more than 10 minutes on the bottom. However, this time it was enough to find there flat fish resembling flounder. The dive lasted five hours, and the climb took three.

In the 90 years, several attempts were made (with different successes) to plunge into the hollow. Many new data were received. A very large role in the research was played by Japanese scientists. Attempts to study the Mariana Trench more thoroughly are also being made these days.