The deepest continental trench on the world map. The deepest trenches on Earth: world leaders
The Mariana Trench is the deepest place on our planet. I think almost everyone heard about it or studied it at school, but I myself, for example, have long forgotten both its depth and the facts about how it was measured and studied. So I decided to "refresh" my and your memory.
This absolute depth got its name thanks to the nearby Mariana Islands. The entire depression stretched along the islands for one and a half thousand kilometers and has a characteristic V-shaped profile. In fact, this is an ordinary tectonic fault, the place where the Pacific plate comes under the Philippine, just the Mariana Trench is the deepest place of this kind) Its slopes are steep, on average about 7-9 °, and the bottom is flat, from 1 to 5 kilometers wide , and divided by thresholds into several closed sections. bottom pressure Mariana Trench reaches 108.6 MPa - this is more than 1100 times more than normal atmospheric pressure!
The first who dared to challenge the abyss were the British - the military three-masted corvette "Challenger" with sailing equipment was rebuilt into an oceanographic vessel for hydrological, geological, chemical, biological and meteorological work back in 1872. But the first data on the depth of the Mariana Trench were obtained only in 1951 - according to the measurements, the depth of the depression was declared equal to 10,863 m. After that, the deepest point of the Mariana Trench was called the “Challenger Deep”. It is hard to imagine that in the depths of the Mariana Trench the most high mountain our planet - Everest, and above it there will still be more than a kilometer of water to the surface ... Of course, it will fit not in area, but only in height, but the numbers are still amazing ...
The next explorers of the Mariana Trench were already Soviet scientists - in 1957, during the 25th voyage of the Soviet research vessel Vityaz, they not only announced maximum depth depression equal to 11,022 meters, but also established the existence of life at depths of more than 7000 meters, thereby refuting the then prevailing idea of the impossibility of life at depths of more than 6000-7000 meters. In 1992, the Vityaz was handed over to the newly formed Museum of the World Ocean. The ship was repaired at the shipyard for two years, and on July 12, 1994, it was permanently moored at the museum pier in the very center of Kaliningrad
On January 23, 1960, the first and only human dive to the bottom of the Mariana Trench was carried out. Thus, the only people who have been "at the bottom of the Earth" were US Navy Lieutenant Don Walsh and researcher Jacques Picard
During the dive, they were protected by armored, 127 millimeter thick, walls of a bathyscaphe called "Trieste"
Bathyscaphe was named after Italian city Trieste, in which the main work on its creation was carried out. According to the instruments on board the Trieste, Walsh and Picard dived to a depth of 11,521 meters, but this figure was later slightly corrected - 10,918 meters.
The dive took about five, and the rise - about three hours, the researchers spent only 12 minutes at the bottom. But even this time was enough for them to make sensational discovery- at the bottom they found flat fish up to 30 cm in size, similar to flounder!
Studies in 1995 showed that the depth of the Mariana Trench is about 10,920 m, and the Japanese probe "Kaik?", descended into the Challenger Deep on March 24, 1997, recorded a depth of 10,911.4 meters.
The Mariana Trench has repeatedly frightened researchers with monsters lurking in its depths. For the first time, the expedition of the American research vessel Glomar Challenger encountered the unknown. then vague shadows, similar to giant fairy-tale dragons with several heads and tails.An hour later, scientists became worried that the unique equipment, made in the NASA laboratory from beams of ultra-strong titanium-cobalt steel, having a spherical structure, the so-called "hedgehog" with a diameter of about 9 m, can remain in the abyss of the Mariana Trench forever - so it was decided to immediately raise the device aboard the ship. The "Hedgehog" was taken out of the depths for more than eight hours, and as soon as it appeared on the surface, they immediately put it on a special raft. The TV camera and the echo sounder were raised to the deck of the "Glomar Challenger". The researchers were horrified when they saw how deformed the strongest steel beams of the structure were, as for the 20-centimeter steel cable on which the "hedgehog" was lowered, the scientists were not mistaken in the nature of the sounds transmitted from the abyss of water - the cable was half sawn. tried to leave the device at depth and why - so it will forever remain a mystery.Details of this incident were published in 1996 by the New York Times newspaper
Another collision with the inexplicable in the depths of the Mariana Trench happened to the German research apparatus "Hyfish" with a crew on board. At a depth of 7 km, the device suddenly stopped moving. To find out the cause of the malfunction, the hydronauts turned on the infrared camera ... What they saw in the next few seconds, it seemed to them a collective hallucination: a huge prehistoric lizard, biting its teeth into a bathyscaphe, tried to crack it like a nut. Recovering from the shock, the crew activated a device called an "electric gun", and the monster, struck by a powerful discharge, disappeared into the abyss ...
People have always been attracted by heights. To do this, they created airplanes, conquered the highest mountain and are building high skyscrapers. But, the situation with depths is quite different. Especially if it is the deepest depression on land or at the bottom of the ocean. Everyone approaches such places with apprehension and, of course, not everyone dares to look there. But, this did not stop the scientists, and in order to study such places, they spare no effort, no time, no finances. Where are the biggest depressions?
ghor
The record holder for depth on our planet is the formation of the tectonic nature of Ghor, which has another name - El Gor. It is located on the territory of Western Asia, namely on the border of Syria, Jordan and Israel. In its depths lies river system Dead Sea. Ghor is surrounded by steep slopes, the height of which in some places reaches 1400 m, sandstones and lava fields. Semi-desert climate prevails in these places.
The depth of this formation is 400 m below the level of the world ocean, and the length is as much as 200 km.
This name has a tectonic depression located in China, which is considered the lowest point in East Asia - 154 m below sea level. The natural formation is 200 km long and about 70 km wide. In its central part, you can find the ruins of the ancient Chinese city of Yanghai.
The climate in these places is sharply continental, with maximum temperature+39.7 degrees and a minimum of -2.2 degrees. It is very dry here, and the average annual rainfall almost never exceeds 20 mm. Therefore, the vegetation in the region is sparse (camel thorn, saltpeter, etc.). Saxaul and comb growers grow on the shore of Lake Aydinkel. As far as agriculture is concerned, locals grapes, mulberry, gourds, peaches and figs are grown. But, due to the lack of moisture, the fruits contain a high level of sugars.
Scientists call this place the only one on the planet where it is possible to explore the ocean ridges without sinking to the bottom of the ocean. The Danakil Desert, Lake Assal, located at a level of 155 m below the level of the World Ocean, are also located here. largest volcano Earth - Erta Ale. The only water artery of the basin is the Awash River.
There is lava at the bottom of the basin. And its platform is in constant motion, which is why earthquakes constantly occur here.
The climate here is very hot, and the temperature ranges from +25 degrees during the rainy season to +48 degrees during the dry season. The average annual rainfall rarely exceeds 100-200 mm. The only green strip of the depression is the coast of Awash.
Approximately 1200 km² of the Afar Basin is under a thick layer of salt, which has become local population practically the only possible source of income.
The Kattar depression is considered the only one absolutely waterless and therefore lifeless on Earth. Its depth is 133 meters below the level of the oceans. It is located in the northern part of the Libyan desert. The bottom of the depression is covered with solonchak, and only a small area in the west of the Kattar basin has a small Kara oasis.
Due to the lack of water, people have never lived here, and the only people you can meet in these places are nomadic pastoralists who graze their cattle near the oasis.
The occurrence of reservoirs in Qattara is hindered by extremely low rainfall (less than 55 mm per year). And the moisture that falls out instantly evaporates. This is facilitated strong winds and high air temperature - about 36 degrees.
Under the local salt marshes in the last century, deposits of oil and natural gas were discovered. Therefore, in order to create optimal living conditions here, several projects have been proposed to improve climatic conditions and flooding of the area. However, none of them has been implemented to date.
You can find the Karagie depression 50 km from Alatau in Kazakhstan, not far from the Caspian Sea. Its depth is 132 m, length is 40 km, and width is 10 km. Scientists who studied this place came to the conclusion that rain clouds are forming over Karagiye.
At the very bottom of the depression, you can see Lake Batyr, the exact area and depth of which cannot be determined, since they are constantly changing. During the dry period of the year, Batyr completely dries up, and a salt marsh appears in its place.
A depression with such a frightening name is located in California. Its depth is 86 m. A huge national park with the same name. Visitors to the Valley of Death immediately pay attention to natural contrasts - sand dunes framed by snow-capped mountain peaks, salt marshes on the site of dried-up lakes and craters of extinct volcanoes.
Directors often use the valley to shoot space landscapes. Due to the uniqueness of the landscape and the huge number of collected in one place geological wonders, this depression is one of the most beautiful places in the world.
This place got its ominous name back in the days of the "gold rush". It was through the valley that the main route of the searchers passed. But, due to the hellish heat and the lack of water here, many could not reach the end.
But, despite the hellish climate and 50-degree heat, people live in these places - Timbisha Indians. In fact, there are very few of them left.
The depth of the depression is 81 m. The length is 50 km, and the width is 6 km. The depression is located on the territory of modern Turkmenistan in the famous Karakum desert. Its feature can be called mountain ranges surrounding her. The slopes of the mountains look like multi-colored steps, due to the presence of mineral and metal deposits in them.
In the rainy season, streams flow down the slopes of the mountains, which are made in limestone and other rocks hollows, which looks incredibly impressive.
From the name it becomes clear that the location of this tectonic depression, 81 m deep, is Baja California. The climate of this area is desert. The average annual rainfall is within 100 mm. The local flora is poor, there are cacti, yuccas and other plants adapted to life in the desert.
The Mariana Trench (or the Mariana Trench) is the deepest place on the earth's surface. It is located on western outskirts Pacific Ocean 200 kilometers east of the Mariana Archipelago.
Paradoxically, but about the mysteries of space or mountain peaks mankind knows much more than ocean depths Oh. And one of the most mysterious and unexplored places our planet is just the Mariana Trench. So what do we know about him?
Mariana Trench - the bottom of the world
In 1875, the crew of the British corvette Challenger discovered a place in the Pacific Ocean where there was no bottom. Kilometer after kilometer the rope of the lot went overboard, but there was no bottom! And only at a depth of 8184 meters the descent of the rope stopped. Thus, the deepest underwater crack on Earth was discovered. It was named the Mariana Trench, after the nearby islands. Its shape (in the form of a crescent) and the location of the deepest section, called the "Challenger Abyss", were determined. It is located 340 km. south of the island Guam and has coordinates 11°22′ s. sh., 142°35′ E d. 
“The fourth pole”, “the womb of Gaia”, “the bottom of the world” has since been called this deep-water depression. Oceanographic scientists have long tried to find out its true depth. Research different years gave different values. The fact is that at such a colossal depth, the density of water increases as it approaches the bottom, so the properties of the sound from the echo sounder also change in it. By using barometers and thermometers together with echo sounders on different levels, in 2011 the depth value in the "Challenger Abyss" was set at 10994 ± 40 meters. This is the height of Mount Everest plus another two kilometers from above.
The pressure at the bottom of the underwater crevasse is almost 1100 atmospheres, or 108.6 MPa. Most of the deep-sea vehicles are designed for a maximum depth of 6-7 thousand meters. Since the opening deepest canyon, it was possible to successfully reach its bottom only four times. 
In 1960, the Trieste deep-sea bathyscaphe, for the first time in the world, descended to the very bottom of the Mariana Trench in the area of the Challenger Abyss with two passengers on board: US Navy Lieutenant Don Walsh and Swiss oceanographer Jacques Picard.
Their observations led to an important conclusion about the presence of life at the bottom of the canyon. The discovery of the upward flow of water also had an important environmental significance: based on it, the nuclear powers refused to dispose of radioactive waste at the bottom of the Mariana sinkhole. 
In the 90s, the gutter was explored by the Japanese unmanned probe Kaiko, which brought samples of silt from the bottom, in which bacteria, worms, shrimp were found, as well as pictures of a hitherto unknown world.
In 2009, the American robot Nereus conquered the abyss, raising samples of silt, minerals, samples of deep-sea fauna and photos of inhabitants of unknown depths from the bottom. 
In 2012, James Cameron, the author of Titanic, Terminator and Avatar, dived into the abyss alone. He spent 6 hours at the bottom, collecting samples of soil, minerals, fauna, as well as taking photographs and 3D video. Based on this material, the film "Challenge to the Abyss" was created.
Amazing discoveries
In the trench at a depth of about 4 kilometers is the active Daikoku volcano, spewing liquid sulfur, which boils at 187 ° C in a small depression. The only lake of liquid sulfur was discovered only on Jupiter's moon Io. 
At 2 kilometers from the surface, "black smokers" swirl - sources of geothermal water with hydrogen sulfide and other substances that, upon contact with cold water are converted to black sulfides. The movement of sulfide water resembles puffs of black smoke. The water temperature at the point of release reaches 450 ° C. The surrounding sea does not boil only because of the density of the water (150 times greater than at the surface). 
In the north of the canyon there are "white smokers" - geysers spewing liquid carbon dioxide at a temperature of 70-80 ° C. Scientists suggest that it is in such geothermal "boilers" that one should look for the origins of life on Earth. Hot springs "warm up" the icy waters, supporting life in the abyss - the temperature at the bottom of the Mariana Trench is in the range of 1-3 ° C. 
Life beyond life
It would seem that in an atmosphere of complete darkness, silence, icy cold and unbearable pressure, life in the hollow is simply unthinkable. But studies of the depression prove the opposite: there are living creatures almost 11 kilometers under water! 
The bottom of the sinkhole is covered with a thick layer of mucus from organic sediments that have been descending from the upper layers of the ocean for hundreds of thousands of years. Mucus is an excellent nutrient medium for barrophilic bacteria, which form the basis of the nutrition of protozoa and multicellular organisms. Bacteria, in turn, become food for more complex organisms. 
The ecosystem of the underwater canyon is truly unique. Living beings have managed to adapt to an aggressive, destructive environment under normal conditions, with high pressure, lack of light, a small amount of oxygen and a high concentration of toxic substances. Life in such unbearable conditions gave many inhabitants of the abyss a frightening and unattractive look. 
Deep-sea fish have incredible mouths, seated with sharp long teeth. High pressure made their bodies small (from 2 to 30 cm). However, there are also large specimens, such as the xenophyophora amoeba, reaching 10 cm in diameter. The frilled shark and goblin shark, living at a depth of 2000 meters, generally reach 5-6 meters in length. 
Representatives live at different depths different types living organisms. The deeper the inhabitants of the abyss, the better their organs of vision are, allowing them to catch the slightest glimmer of light on the body of their prey in complete darkness. Some individuals themselves are able to produce directional light. Other creatures are completely devoid of organs of vision, they are replaced by organs of touch and radar. With increasing depth, underwater inhabitants lose their color more and more, the bodies of many of them are almost transparent. 
On the slopes where the “black smokers” live, mollusks live, having learned to neutralize the sulfides and hydrogen sulfide that are fatal to them. And, which remains a mystery to scientists so far, under conditions of enormous pressure at the bottom, they somehow miraculously manage to keep their mineral shell intact. Similar abilities are shown by other inhabitants of the Mariana Trench. The study of fauna samples showed a multiple excess of the level of radiation and toxic substances. 
Unfortunately, deep sea creatures die due to the change in pressure with any attempt to bring them to the surface. Only thanks to modern deep-sea vehicles it became possible to study the inhabitants of the depression in their natural environment. Representatives of the fauna unknown to science have already been identified. 
Secrets and mysteries of the "womb of Gaia"
The mysterious abyss, like any unknown phenomenon, is shrouded in a mass of secrets and mysteries. What does she hide in her depths? Japanese scientists claimed that while feeding goblin sharks, they saw a shark 25 meters long devouring goblins. A monster of this size could only be a megalodon shark, which became extinct almost 2 million years ago! Confirmation is the findings of megalodon teeth in the vicinity of the Mariana Trench, whose age dates back to only 11 thousand years. It can be assumed that specimens of these monsters are still preserved in the depths of the failure. 
There are many stories about the corpses of giant monsters thrown ashore. When descending into the abyss of the German bathyscaphe "Highfish", the dive stopped 7 km from the surface. To understand the reason, the passengers of the capsule turned on the lights and were horrified: their bathyscaphe, like a nut, was trying to crack open some prehistoric lizard! Only a pulse of electric current through the outer skin managed to scare away the monster.
On another occasion, when an American submersible was submerging, a scraping of metal began to be heard from under the water. The descent was stopped. When inspecting the lifted equipment, it turned out that the titanium alloy metal cable was half sawn (or gnawed), and the beams of the underwater vehicle were bent. 
In 2012, the video camera of the unmanned vehicle "Titan" from a depth of 10 kilometers transmitted a picture of metal objects, presumably UFOs. Soon the connection with the device was interrupted.
Unfortunately, there is no documentary evidence of these interesting facts not available, they are all based only on eyewitness accounts. Every story has its fans and skeptics, its pros and cons. 
Before a risky dive into the trench, James Cameron said that he wanted to see with his own eyes at least some of those secrets of the Mariana Trench, about which there are so many rumors and legends. But he did not see anything that would go beyond the cognizable. 
So what do we know about her?
To understand how the Mariana Underwater Gap was formed, it should be remembered that such gaps (troughs) are usually formed along the edges of the oceans under the action of moving lithospheric plates. The oceanic plates, being older and heavier, "creep" under the continental ones, forming deep dips at the junctions. The deepest is the junction of the Pacific and Philippine tectonic plates close to Mariana Islands(Mariana Trench). The Pacific Plate is moving at a speed of 3-4 centimeters per year, resulting in increased volcanic activity along both of its edges. 
Throughout the entire length of this deepest failure, four so-called bridges were found - transverse mountain range. The ridges were presumably formed due to the movement of the lithosphere and volcanic activity. 
The gutter is V-shaped in cross-section, strongly widening upwards and narrowing downwards. The average width of the canyon in the upper part is 69 kilometers, in the widest part - up to 80 kilometers. The average width of the bottom between the walls is 5 kilometers. The slope of the walls is almost sheer and is only 7-8°. The depression stretches from north to south for 2500 kilometers. The gutter has average depth about 10,000 meters. 
Only three people have been to the very bottom of the Mariana Trench to date. In 2018, another manned dive to the “bottom of the world” is planned at its deepest section. This time the well-known will try to conquer the hollow and find out what it hides in its depths Russian traveler Fedor Konyukhov and polar explorer Artur Chilingarov. At present, a deep-sea bathyscaphe is being manufactured and a research program is being drawn up.
The Mariana Trench (Marian Trench) is a deep-sea trench located in the western Pacific Ocean. Today, the Mariana Trench is the most deep place on the planet. deepest point The trough was named the Challenger Deep.
The history of research on the Mariana Trench begins in 1875, when the British corvette Challenger lowered a deep-water lot into the trench and recorded a depth of 8367 m. In 1951, the British repeated the experiment using an echo sounder and recorded a maximum depth of 10,863 m. In 1957, a Russian expedition on the Vityaz vessel, she was able to record a new depth of the depression - 11,023 m. Studies in 1995 and 2011 showed new figures - 10,920 and 10,994 m, respectively.
3 people were able to visit the bottom of the Mariana Trench. In 1960, the bathyscaphe Trieste sank to the bottom of the depression, on board of which were explorer Jacques Picard and US Navy Lieutenant John Walsh. They descended to a depth of 10,918 m and dispelled the myth that life at such a depth is impossible. Bathyscaphe "Trieste" found flat fish about 30 cm long at the bottom of the cavity.
In 1995, the Japanese probe Kaiko was lowered into the depression, with the help of which new microorganisms, foraminifera, were discovered.
In 2012, American director James Cameron descended in a bathyscaphe Deepsea Challenger to the bottom of the Mariana Trench. He reached a depth of 10,898 m. The bathyscaphe was equipped with all possible recording equipment, so Cameron was able to capture unique footage of underwater life.
Map of the Mariana Trench
On satellite map The Mariana Trench looks like a large fold on the ocean floor. The depression is a trough that stretches for 1500 km. The width of the depression is from 1 to 5 km. Mountains were found at the bottom of the trench, which were formed about 180 million years ago in the process of movement of lithospheric plates. The pressure at the bottom of the Mariana Trench is 108.6 MPa, which is 1072 times higher than atmospheric pressure at the level of the World Ocean.
Mysteries and secrets of the Mariana Trench
The complexity of exploring the ocean depths has led to the fact that many myths and legends began to form around the Mariana Trench. Some believe that prehistoric monsters live at the bottom of the depression, others believe that Cthulhu sleeps there.
During the descent to the bottom of the hollow of the research apparatus "Ezh", belonging to the ship"Glomar Challenger", recording devices recorded some kind of metallic screeching. It was decided to take the device on board. When the device was taken out of the water, they found that the 20-centimeter cable, on which the "Hedgehog" was lowered into the hollow, was half sawn through.
In those places, the rays will never penetrate sunlight to get there, researchers, risking their lives, make a lot of effort and effort, mysterious creatures live there that look more like alien aliens than ocean inhabitants - all this deep sea trenches(troughs) of the oceans.
Geographic feature (value)
Ocean trenches are deep cracks on the ocean floor, the length of which reaches at least five thousand meters. They play an important role in shaping climatic conditions and climate in general.
The basins of the World Ocean act as the main sinks of the most abundant carbon gas - CO2, which is the main component in biochemical processes. the globe. Depressions are traps for organic matter, which is intensively processed by bacteria. Much more bacterial organisms are concentrated in the depressions than on the oceanic plains (up to 6000 meters), which were previously considered the main utilizers of organic matter. In addition, such kind of traps can act in a direction that is opposite to global warming, which helps maintain the planet's ecological system in a balanced state.
Characteristics of sea and ocean trenches
The basins of the marginal seas, which develop in oceanic conditions, are also referred to as oceanic cracks and faults. Sea trenches are deep faults that are located at the bottom of the seas, complete darkness and high pressure reign there. The most famous are sea trenches that stretched along eastern shores Eurasia.
Oceanic depressions are the most common relief elements of the intermediate sector between the ocean and the continental part of the mainland. These long narrow depressions of the ocean floor are located on the outer part of the oceanic ridges of the continental arcs.
Deep sea basins of the oceans
The deepest faults are concentrated in the Pacific region and reach up to 11 km. The deepest place on earth is the Mariana Trench with a recorded depth of 11,022 meters. The length of the trench is 1500 km, the slopes are steep, and the bottom is flat (width from 1 to 5 km).
IN Indian Ocean the deepest is the Yavan depression with a depth of 7,730 meters, a length of more than 4,000 kilometers, and a width of 10 to 50 km. It is located near the island of Bali. The bottom of the depression is indented with ledges and submarine canyons, there are active volcanoes earthquakes happen.
The longest in the world is the Peru-Chile Trench, its depth reaches 6000 km. This depression is the widest fault in the World Ocean and is recognized as one of the 7 wonders of the world (more than 90 km wide).
The Aleutian Trench stretches from Alaska to Kamchatka with a depth of 7,700 m. A depression was formed during the collision of two Pacific and North American plates.
Mariana Trench interesting facts
(The contour of Mount Chomolungma (Everest) on the scheme of the Marina depression)
If the highest mountain in the world, Chomolungma (Everest), was in Mariana Trench, then it would be covered by another 2 km of water.
At a depth of about one and a half kilometers from the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, there are thermal springs, so the water warms up to 450 C.
Recently, giant amoeba (up to 10 cm) were discovered at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, which has such dimensions due to the environment in which they live.
