The amount of pressure at the bottom of the Mariana Trench. Fishes in the cavity. Mysteries of the Mariana Trench

Mariana Trench is a fracture in the earth's crust located in the ocean. It is one of the famous objects in the world. Let's find out where the Mariana Trench is located on the map and what it is known for.

What it is?

The Mariana Trench is an oceanic trench, or a break in the earth's crust, located under water. It got its name from the nearby Mariana Islands. In the world, this object is known as the deepest place. The depth of the Mariana Trench in meters is 10994. This is 2000 meters more than the deepest high mountain planets - Everest.

The British first learned about this depression in 1875 on the Challenger ship. At the same time, the first measurement of its depth was made, which was 8367 meters.

How was the Mariana Trench formed?

It represents the boundary between two lithospheric plates. Here there is a fault in the earth's crust, formed as a result of the movements of these plates. The depression is shaped like a V and its length in kilometers is 1,500.

Location

How to find the Mariana Trench on a world map? It is located in the Pacific Ocean, in its eastern part, between the Philippine and Mariana Islands. The coordinates of the deepest point of the depression are 11 degrees north latitude and 142 degrees east longitude.

Rice. 1. The Mariana Trench is located in the Pacific Ocean

Research

The enormous depth of the Mariana Trench determines the pressure at the bottom, which is 108.6 MPa. This is a thousand times more pressure on the Earth's surface. Naturally, conducting research in such conditions is extremely difficult. However, the secrets and mysteries of the deep place attract many scientists around the world.

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As already mentioned, the first studies were carried out in 1875. But the equipment of that time did not allow not only to descend to the bottom of the depression, but even to accurately measure its depth. The first dive was carried out in 1960 - then the bathyscaphe “Trieste” sank to a depth of 10915 meters. This study contains many interesting facts, unfortunately, still have no explanation.

The devices recorded sounds reminiscent of the grinding of a saw on metal. With the help of monitors, unclear shadows were visible, with outlines reminiscent of dragons or dinosaurs. The recording was carried out for an hour, then the scientists decided to urgently raise the submersible to the surface. When the device was lifted, many damages were discovered on the metal, which at that time was considered super-strong. The cable was enormously long and 20 cm wide and was half sawn through. Who could have done this is still considered unknown.

Rice. 2. The bathyscaphe Trieste dived into the Mariana Trench

The German Haifish expedition also sank its bathyscaphe into the Mariana Trench. However, they only reached a depth of 7 km and then encountered some difficulties. Attempts to remove the device were unsuccessful. Turning on the infrared cameras, scientists saw a huge lizard holding the submersible. Whether this was true - today no one can say.

The deepest part of the depression was recorded in 2011 using a special robot diving to the bottom. It reached 10994 meters. This area was called the Challenger Deep.

Is there anyone who went down to the bottom of the Mariana Trench, other than robots and bathyscaphes? Such dives were carried out by several people:

  • Don Walsh and Jacques Picard, research scientists, descended on the bathyscaphe Trieste in 1960 to a depth of 10,915 meters;
  • James Cameron, an American director, made a solo dive to the very bottom of the Challenger Deep, collecting many samples, photographs and video materials.

In January 2017, he announced his desire to dive into the Mariana Trench famous traveler Fedor Konyukhov.

Who lives at the bottom of the depression

Despite the enormous depth and high pressure of the water column, the Mariana Trench is not uninhabited. Until recently, it was believed that life ceases at a depth of 6000 m and no animals are able to withstand the enormous pressure. In addition, at the level of 2000 m the passage of light stops and below there is only darkness.

Recent research has discovered that even below 6000 m there is life. So, who lives at the bottom of the Mariana Trench:

  • worms up to one and a half meters long;
  • crustaceans;
  • shellfish;
  • octopuses;
  • sea ​​stars;
  • many bacteria.

All these inhabitants have adapted to withstand pressure and darkness, therefore they have specific shapes and colors.

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The Mariana Trench is considered the most mysterious and mysterious place on our planet. Located in the Pacific Ocean, this deep-sea trench has been unsuccessfully “attacked” by scientists from all over the world, but detailed information There is still no exact map of the depression and its inhabitants.

Where is the Mariana Trench located?

In the southwestern vicinity of the Pacific Ocean, the group is located Mariana Islands. Some of them were formed due to volcanic processes in the bowels of our earth, the second part represents the eastern edge of the Philippine lithospheric plate, which, having collided with the more massive Pacific plate, partially rose above the water. It is in this place that the Mariana Trench is located.

Initially, no one knew about the depth of the trench, and, as was common during the Middle Ages, less developed communal formations became colonies of Western European countries:

  • 1521 - A Spanish expedition lands on the islands. Due to conflict with local tribes, geographical discovery for a long time called the Ladron Islands (translated from Spanish - land of thieves);
  • 1668 - the property of the Spanish crown received a new name - the Mariana Islands (in honor of Queen Marianna of Austria).

After the Spanish-American War, part of the wreck was transferred to the United States. In 1875, the British ship Challenger, whose crew included scientists from America and England, used a hydrographic survey to establish a record depth for the trench at that time - more than 8,000 meters. It was decided to name the depression Mariana.

Bottom of the Mariana Trench

The Mariana Trench has a V-shape, and the width of the base (bottom) of the trench does not exceed 3-5 km. This discrepancy in the data concerns not only the width, but also the depth of the depression itself, which is associated with the extreme pressure - at the extreme point it reaches 108 MPa, which gives the echo sounder measurements a certain error:

  • 1875 - British corvette Defiant sets the depth to 8.3 km;
  • 1951 - another British expedition, supplementing the information with new data - 10.86 km;
  • 1957 - the Soviet research expedition updates the previously obtained results: length - 11.03 km, bottom width - 3.57 km;
  • 1995 - length 10.92 km, base width - 4.12 km.

The most latest research the bottom of the Mariana Trench were produced by oceanographers from the University of New Hampshire in 2016:

  • Width- 4.41 km;
  • Square- 403701 square meters;
  • Shelf- rocky, 4 found mountain range height from 1.8 to 2.51 km;
  • Flora and fauna- plants, oilfish, jellyfish and fish.

With the help of an underwater vehicle launched from the research vessel Okeanos Explorer, the whole world learned about previously unknown organisms whose habitat exceeds a depth of 6,000 meters.

Living in bottomless darkness

For an accurate picture of the pressure distribution, let’s walk along the vertical of the Mariana Trench from the surface of the ocean to the very bottom, and learn about its inhabitants:

  • 100 - 120 meters: pressure exceeds 10 atmospheres. Depth is extreme point blue whale dives;
  • 1000 meters: maximum daylight penetration point. Here you can find:
    • Sperm whale;
    • Glowing Octopus;
    • A predator from the chordate family.
  • 4000 meters: the abyssal zone is characterized by low water temperatures (about 2-3 C˚), and is a habitat for:
    • Deep sea octopus;
    • Known from the animated film "Finding Nemo" the terrible (monkfish).
  • 5000 - 11000 meters: despite the complete darkness and high pressure, even at the bottom of the depression, scientists recorded previously unknown, giant amoebae and.

Animal world, inhabiting the Mariana Trench, is truly unique. For example, some types of fish accumulate luminous liquid, and when in danger, they “spit” it on the predator, thus temporarily blinding their offender.

Mariana lizards: true or fake?

An incident that occurred in the Mariana Abyss in 2003 introduced the world to a real rival to the Loch Ness monster known as “Nessie”:

  • 2001 - a German expedition, using the Haifish deep-sea vehicle, explored the waters of the trench at a depth of more than 7,500 meters. Hearing sharp sounds, the crew turned on the infrared camera and were speechless for a few seconds - everyone saw a huge prehistoric lizard;
  • 2003 - American scientists lowered an unmanned vehicle into the water. Powerful spotlights and a video system made it possible to record huge monsters with a body length of 14-16 meters. After the bathyscaphe was lifted aboard the ship, the researchers noticed an interesting fact - the steel cable on which the device was held was worn out or bitten off by more than half.

Three years later, journalists from the New York Times conducted an investigation, which nevertheless cast doubt on the authenticity of the photographs.

Mariana Trench: 5 interesting facts

Do you know that:

  1. The bottom of the trench is covered with ("black smokers"), which, under pressure, release liquid carbon dioxide into the ocean. This allows you to keep the water temperature within 2-4 C˚;
  2. Most fish that live at a depth of 4000 meters and below are deprived of visual organs or see very poorly;
  3. Only three people in the world were present at the bottom of the Mariana Trench: American Don Walsh (1954), Frenchman Jacques Picard (1960) and famous Hollywood film director James Cameron (2012);
  4. The bottom of the trench is covered with thick viscous silt, the layer reaches 1 km, according to scientists;
  5. The depression is national natural monument, US defendant.

Everyone has probably heard about the Mother Trench, which is also called the “bottom of the Earth,” from the school curriculum. deep gutter, the depth of which, according to various sources, varies from 10950 to 11037 meters, is nothing more than a tectonic fault formed at the westernmost point of the Pacific Ocean. Despite the high pressure, which in some places exceeds 100 MPa, there is life in the dark abyss, the diversity of which we will certainly learn about in full in the very near future.

Video: incredible mysteries of the deep sea trench

In this video, Fyodor Miroshnikov will talk about the mysteries of the Mariana Trench, what is currently known to science:

It would seem that by the twenty-first century, humanity knows everything about our planet and there are no blank spots left on the maps. But don’t forget that about 90% of the ocean floor is still covered not only with thick water, but also with mystery. So far there are more questions than answers in this area. This is because only a few daredevils dared to dive in these places. It is believed that this is akin to suicide.

Harsh conditions

The Mariana Trench is a tectonic submarine fault and has a V-shaped silhouette, with steep slopes and a flat bottom, about 5 km wide. At the depth there are also peculiar underwater mountains about two kilometers high. The deepest point of the planet, reaching 11 thousand meters, is located here and is called the Challenger Abyss. Even the highest peak of our planet, Mount Everest, would be drowned under the water column in the Mariana Trench.

The pressure at this depth is more than a thousand times higher than normal Atmosphere pressure Earth. Just imagine, a whole ton of weight falls on one square centimeter of surface. Titanium alloys can barely withstand such loads. If there had been a person here, he would have been torn to pieces at that very second. It is curious that the water temperature at such a depth is about 4 degrees plus. All thanks to the oceanic hydrothermal vents “black smokers”, which throw out 450-degree jets closer to the surface of the ocean.

The colossal pressure does not allow the water to boil and the environment is only slightly heated. And the one-of-a-kind deep-sea “White Smokers” produce liquid carbon dioxide in the Mariana Trench, plunging everything around into white fog. Such hydrothermal springs enrich the aquatic environment with chemical microelements and, according to scientists, create good conditions for the emergence of new forms of life.

Inhabitants of the Mariana Trench

The big discovery was the fact that at a depth of more than 6000 m, under incredible pressure, the absence of sunlight and zero temperatures, life is in full swing. At the bottom live various types of bacteria and protozoa, sea cucumbers and amphipods, mollusk shells and luminous octopuses, weird shape

starfish, blind giant worms and flat fish with periscope eyes.

New species of scorpionfish and anglerfish have been discovered. The peculiarity of these frightening fish is the presence of bioluminescent luminous appendages that hang down like a fishing rod. Seeing a light in the pitch darkness, the prey swims towards the light and ends up in the toothy mouth of a predator. The attention of doctors was especially attracted by one of the species of isopods, because the substance it secretes may help develop a cure for Alzheimer's disease. What shocked the public the most were the huge xenophyophore amoebas. Their size in the Mariana Trench reaches 10 cm, while all previously known species of protozoa can hardly be seen under a microscope.

A unique feature of xenophyophores is that they are resistant to substances such as mercury, uranium, and lead that are potent and destructive to all living things.

Inexplicable In the mid-nineties, newspapers were full of headlines about a certain monster hiding at the bottom of the Mariana Trench. The story went that the research vessel Glomar Challenger, plunging an instrument into the abyss to study ocean depths

, faced difficulties. At some point, the sensors recorded a terrible noise and grinding sound. We had to urgently remove the device from the water. It turned out to be badly damaged, the iron body of the device was badly twisted, and the reliable metal cable almost broke, as if someone wanted to bite it.

There is no convincing evidence that giant prehistoric animals are found in the Mariana Trench today. However, the opposite has not been proven.

In the 20s of the last century, fishermen from Australia said that they saw a huge white shark about 30 m long in these parts. Whereas individuals of this species known to science do not exceed five meters. The description of the Australians was completely consistent only with the external characteristics of Megalodon (scientific name Carcharodon megalodon). This animal weighed 100 tons and its mouth could swallow prey the size of a car. According to popular belief, Megalodons went extinct about 2 million years ago. But just recently, a tooth of this monster was discovered in the bottom of the Pacific Ocean in the Mariana Trench. The examination determined that this find is no more than 11 thousand years old. What else does the seabed hide?

Journey to the Center of the Earth

Everything that we now know about the Mariana Trench was obtained thanks to brave researchers who were not afraid of the unknown depths. Since 1872, more than a dozen expeditions have been sent to the waters of the Pacific Ocean. In most cases, research was carried out using technologies that are improving every year. Various equipment with sensors and probes with video and photo cameras were immersed at the bottom of the Mariana Trench.

The first to study the ocean abyss were researchers from the Challenger ship. The deepest point on the planet in the Mariana Trench, the Challenger Deep, was named after this vessel.

The first to personally visit a depth of eleven thousand meters were the Swiss oceanographer Jacques Piccard and the American military man Don Walsh. In 1960, they plunged into the Mariana Trench on a deep-sea vessel. Only 127 mm separated them from kilometers of frightening uncertainty. armored steel.

Only our contemporary, the famous director James Cameron, creator of the films “Titanic” and “Avatar,” decided to repeat their feat. In 2012, he made this dive alone on the DeepSea Challenge submersible. By taking soil and water samples from the bottom of the Mariana Trench, Cameron helped scientists do a lot important discoveries. However, what he saw was silent silence. He did not encounter any monsters or strange phenomena in the abyss. James compares his adventure to a flight into space - "complete isolation from all humanity."

There are many amazing places of this world, which have not yet been explored by man. It turns out that only 5% of the ocean area is subject to science, the rest remains a mystery to it, shrouded in darkness. One of these mysterious places is the Mariana Trench, the depth of which is the greatest among all explored areas of the seabed. Mariana Trench is another name for the place.

Under the thickness of sea water, the pressure is a thousand times higher than the pressure that is recorded in normal sea space. But high-tech devices and caring risk-takers helped us learn at least a little about the deep crevice. Pacific Ocean- a real nature reserve, which not only houses exotic unique animals, but also contains remarkable topographical objects.

Everyone knows about the existence of this amazing object. Information about it is given to us from a young age, but over time we forget both the numbers and interesting facts about this strange and enchanting place. We decided to remind you where the Mariana Trench is and what it is. You can learn a lot about the ocean surface object.

The heroine of our article is named after the islands that are located near the “bottom of the earth.” It is located along the islands. In the Mariana Trench, the depth of which, it would seem, is capable of destroying all life, some microorganisms live that have mutated due to high pressure. This tectonic fault has steep slopes - about 8⁰. Below is a wide area about 5 km, which is divided by stone thresholds. The pressure at the very bottom is 108.6 MPa - more than anywhere else on planet Earth.

History of the study of the phenomenon

1872 is considered the date of discovery of the Mariana Trench; photographs of the object appear a little later. The tectonic fault was explored as best as possible by the British on a military corvette in 1951. The depth of the Mariana Trench becomes known - 10863 meters. Since it was the Challenger ship that sank to the very bottom, to the maximum deep point, it became known as the Challenger Deep.

Soviet scientists are joining the study. Since 1957, the scientific vessel Vityaz begins to plow the ocean and discovers that the depth of the Mariana Trench is even greater than previously stated - more than 11 kilometers. Our marine researchers established the fact of life at great depths, destroying the scientific stereotypes of that time. Subsequently, the ship was written off as a museum value. Experiments continue to this day. Five years ago, the “bottom of the world” was visited by the Nereus automatic apparatus, which dropped 11 km below ocean level, and took new photos and videos.

The dive to the “bottom of the Earth” takes at least five hours. The ascent is somewhat faster. You cannot stay at the very bottom for more than 12 minutes, taking into account the technology that was at the disposal of the researchers of that time. Cosmic sums have to be allocated for the study of such terrestrial objects, so work is proceeding slowly.

Where is it

The Mariana Trench is located on the western Pacific Ocean, two hundred meters from islands of the same name. It looks like a crescent-shaped chasm, its length is more than 2550 km, and its width reaches almost 70 km.

The results of the study showed that the depth in the Mariana Trench is about 11 thousand meters. Everest reaches only 8840 m. If you need a comparison, the highest mountain on Earth can be turned upside down and placed entirely at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, but there will still be more than 2 km of water above the top. We are talking only about height; the width of the depression and the mountain do not coincide.

Interesting facts and stories

  • It's hot there. It turns out it’s not cold at this crazy depth. The thermometer column shows a positive value - up to 4⁰С. There are hot springs in the gorge, they make the water a hundred points hotter. High pressure prevents the water column from boiling.

  • Population. Ignoring the unsuitable conditions for life, the inhabitants of the “bottom of the world” settled down well. Huge xenophyophore amoebas live there - up to 10 cm. These are protozoa, but they have mutated due to hot water and pressure. Amoebas are able to survive in an environment filled with dangerous chemical elements.

  • Mollusks also became inhabitants of the Mariana Trench, although the form of the cover should have simply cracked under great pressure. But the hot springs contain serpentine, rich in hydrogen and methane. It is these substances that allow mollusks to survive. They were able to adapt even to hydrogen sulfide emissions, converting them into protein compounds.

  • The origin of life on the planet. The Champagne Key at the bottom of the ocean is unique area under water containing liquid CO2. It forms specific bubbles, similar to those found in a glass of sparkling wine. Scientists have suggested that a primary form of life could have appeared around this key at one time. This is due to the presence of all necessary substances.

  • The depression is slimy. There's no sand or anything like that. At the very bottom there is a layer of small shells and dead plankton accumulated over thousands of years. The pressure makes this mass look like mucus.

  • Sulfur in a liquid aggregate state. The Mariana Trench, which is not so easy to photograph, is rich in various geoformations. At a depth of more than 400 meters, there is a whole volcano on the way to it. Near Daikoku is located big lake, filled with liquid sulfur, which cannot be found anywhere else on Earth. The substance boils at a temperature of 187⁰C, and underneath it is believed to be an even larger layer of liquid sulfur, which could also contribute to the formation of life on our planet.

  • There are bridges there. In 2011, a group of research scientists discovered stone bridges in the Mariana Trench. Four structures stretch between the abyss for almost 70 km. They are located between two tectonic plates - the Pacific and the Philippine. One of them was discovered even earlier, in the 80s of the 20th century. It is very high, more than 2.5 km.

  • The first person at such depth. Only three people have had the courage to dive into the Mariana Trench since its discovery in 1875. The first was an American, Lieutenant Don Walsh, and with him the scientist Jacques Piccard in 1960. The dive took place on the Challenger. In 2012, film director James Cameron visited the Mariana Trench in a submersible, and took a photo of it as a souvenir. The man was left with a painful impression of complete loneliness from this place

.

  • The mystery of sawn cables. The incredible depths are terrifying. And the first explorers were afraid of unprecedented monsters inside the Mariana Trench. The first fact of collision with the unknown happened at the moment of the Glomar Challenger dive. The recorder began to record a metallic sound, like a grinding sound, and shadows appearing around the ship. The scientists became concerned about the expensive titanium equipment in the shape of a hedgehog, and the decision was made to lift the research vessel onto the ship. After extraction, the “hedgehog” turned out to be damaged, the 20-centimeter titanium cables were bent, or rather, half sawed through. The complete impression was created that someone wanted to stop the ship at depth.
  • Prehistoric lizard. There was a hitch during the dive of the Highfish vessel with scientists on board. The device reached a depth of 7 kilometers and stopped. The researchers turned on the infrared camera. She suddenly snatched out of the ocean darkness a huge dinosaur that was biting into the submersible. They managed to drive him away with the help of an electric gun.

  • The inhabitants of the Mariana Trench are protected by law. It is a national American monument in its own right. large nature reserve in the world. There are several restrictions on staying in this area. Mining is prohibited here, you can't fish, but you can swim.

The Mayan depression is inhabited by:

1. Scary and not so scary fish


2. Various octopuses

3. And other strange creatures

We are close to the fact that the Mariana Trench will soon become closer to modern humans. Perhaps in the near future there will even be tourism there. But for now, this option remains on par with the possibility of affordable space tourism. It is amazing how similar an earthly object is to distant stars in this respect. It is just as unexplored as the celestial bodies. But at least we know for sure that life exists in the Mariana Trench. According to a common hypothesis, it could have come from there. In this case, the study of the deepest place of the World Ocean acquires global significance.

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The Mariana Trench is one of the least explored places on our planet. Although the deepest ocean trench still hides a lot of secrets, man managed to learn several interesting facts about its structure and parameters.

William Bradberry | Shutterstock.com

Some of the data about the Mariana Trench is known to a fairly wide circle.

1. Thus, the pressure in the Mariana Trench is 1100 times greater than at sea level. For this reason, immersing a living creature without special equipment in a chute is an effective way to commit suicide.

2. The maximum depth of the Mariana Trench is 10,994 meters ± 40 meters (according to data from 2011). For comparison, the highest peak on Earth, Everest, reaches a height of 8,848 meters, and therefore, if it were in the Mariana Trench, it would be completely covered with water.

3. The deep-sea trench got its name from the Mariana Islands, located about 200 km to the west.

Research missions that dared to descend into the deep-sea trench discovered its more amazing facts.

4. The water in the Mariana Trench is relatively warm, ranging from 1 to 4 degrees Celsius. The reason for such a high temperature of deep-sea water is hydrothermal springs, the water around which heats up to 450 degrees Celsius.

5. Huge poisonous xenophyophores live in the gutter. Single-celled organisms reach 10 centimeters (!) in diameter.

6. The Mariana Trench is home to shellfish. Invertebrates are found in the vicinity of serpentine hydrothermal vents, which emit hydrogen and methane necessary for the life of mollusks.

7. The Champagne hydrothermal vent in the basin produces liquid carbon dioxide.

8. The bottom of the depression is covered with viscous mucus, which is crushed shells and plankton remains, turned into sticky mud by incredible water pressure.

9. At a depth of about 414 meters in the Mariana Trench there is active volcano Daikoku. The volcanic eruptions formed a lake of liquid sulfur, the temperature of which reaches 187 degrees Celsius.

10. In 2011, 4 stone “bridges” were discovered in the Mariana Trench, each 69 kilometers long. Scientists suggest that they were formed at the junction of the Pacific and Philippine tectonic plates.

11. Famous director James Cameron became one of three daredevils who descended into the Mariana Trench. The creator of Avatar began his journey in 2012.

12. Mariana Trench is a US National Monument and the largest marine sanctuary in the world.

13. The Mariana Trench is by no means a strictly vertical depression in the seabed. The shape of the Mariana Trench resembles a crescent, about 2,550 kilometers long and an average width of 69 kilometers.

 

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