The deepest point of the sea. So what do we know about her? Liquid carbon dioxide in its purest form
In those places, rays of sunlight will never penetrate to get there, researchers, risking their lives, put a lot of effort and effort, mysterious creatures live there that look more like alien aliens than ocean inhabitants - all these are deep-sea trenches (troughs) World Ocean.
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).
The deepest in the Indian Ocean is the Java Trench, 7,730 meters deep, over 4,000 kilometers long, and 10 to 50 kilometers wide. 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 the Mariana Trench, then it would be covered with 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.
The Mariana Trench (or the common name of the Mariana Trench) is the deepest known place on Earth. Based on recent research data, we can say that the depth of the lowest point of this trench, called the "Challenger Abyss", is 11 kilometers (corrected by 40 meters). The depression is called so because of the nearby Mariana Islands(which are part of the state of Guam). It is the most distant point from sea level (even further than, the height of which is 8,848 meters).
Geographical position
The Mariana Trench is a deep-sea trench located in the western Pacific Ocean off the coast of Micronesia and Guam. The most deep point in the gutter - Challenger Abyss, is located in the southwestern part, 340 kilometers from the island of Guam in a southwestern direction.
It is very difficult for a simple tourist to get to the place where the Mariana Trench is located, since visiting it requires a full preparation of the expedition, in accordance with all safety rules, and this costs a lot of money. Therefore, it is not surprising that the hollow is visited either by the very rich and famous people(like James Cameron - director of the films Titanic and Avatar), or scientific groups from various countries.
Diving in the Mariana Trench
The first mention of the gutter appeared in 1875, when the corvette British Empire Challenger surveyed the bottom of the Pacific Ocean near the Mariana Islands. Then, with the help of a deep-water lot (an instrument for measuring depth), an approximate depth of 8,137 m was established. this moment located.
Man first managed to visit the bottom of the Mariana Trench in early 1960 (01/23/1960). They were the son of the famous designer and engineer Jacques Picard (father, Auguste Picard, just designed the bathyscaphe, on which the dive was carried out) and Lieutenant of the US Navy Don Walsh.
The second dive was made not by a man, but by a probe of Japanese origin in March 1995 (03/25/1995). Then the device recorded a depth equal to 10,911 meters. After the device was lifted out of the water, they found in pieces of silt on it a large number of living organisms "foraminifers".
The next dive took place on May 31, 2009 by the American Nereus apparatus, which took several photographs at the bottom and collected soil samples.
The last dive you probably heard about took place March 26, 2012 renowned American director James Cameron(directed such films as Titanic and Avatar). The dive was carried out on DeepSea device challenger.
Mysteries of the Mariana Trench
The Mariana Trench, if explored, is only 5%. According to recent studies of the trench, its area is about 400,000 square kilometers and the relief resembles mountainous areas of land.
The relief of the earth's surface is very diverse. From space it looks like a smooth ball, but in fact, on its surface there are both the highest mountains and the deepest depressions. Where is the deepest place on earth located? ocean or land?
In contact with
The World Ocean is a huge expanse of water that occupies more than 71% of the Earth's surface. It includes all the seas and our planet. The relief of the ocean floor complex and varied, its waters are the habitat of millions of living organisms.
Most deep ocean in the world - Quiet. The map shows what it takes huge area and borders Asia, North and South America, Australia, Antarctica. Over 49.5% of all body of water Earth accommodates himself Pacific Ocean . Its bottom is a mixture of relict relief with transgressive plains. Most of the ocean floor elevations are of tectonic origin. There are hundreds of natural underwater canyons and ridges. The deepest trench in the world is located in the Pacific Ocean. Mariana Trench.
Mariana Trench
The Mariana Trench (or the Mariana Trench) is a deep oceanic trench, considered deepest known on earth. It received its name in honor of the Mariana Islands, in the neighborhood of which it is located. This is the deepest and mysterious place in the Pacific Ocean.
Scientists have been studying the Mariana Trench since the late 19th century. This is the deepest trench recorded by researchers.
Then they did not have good equipment, so the data that was received is not true. In 1875, a deep water lot set the depth. This lowest point on earth.
During the same period deepest place on Earth began to be called the "Challenger Abyss" on behalf of the British ship on which the explorers sailed. Secondarily, the Mariana Trench was measured in 1951.
In the middle of the last century, scientists managed to study the depression more and establish its depth at 10,863 m. In the future, many research ships visited the Challenger Deep. The most accurate results were obtained in 1957. Then the depth of the depression was 11,023 m.
Important! Now the depth of the Mariana Trench is 10,994 meters below sea level, this is the deepest place in the ocean known today.
Inhabitants of the ocean floor
Even at present, the bottom of the Pacific Ocean has not been fully studied, because it is the deepest ocean in the world. Many places in the Mariana Trench remain unexplored, because at such a great depth too high pressure. But, despite all the difficulties, people managed to descend to the depth of the depression. The first dive into the deepest trench happened in 1960. Scientist Jacques Picard and US Navy soldier Don Walsh descended to a record depth of 10,918 meters. During the dive, people were inside the bathyscaphe. Scientists said that they saw at the bottom of the ocean flat 30-centimeter fish, outwardly similar to a flounder.
During further research, other living organisms were discovered:
- In 1995, Japanese researchers found foraminifera - living organisms that live at a depth of 10,911 m.
- During a series of dives by American scientists, fish of the opisthoproct family were found, football fish and frilled shark.
- In the course of numerous studies, the bottom of the Mariana Trench was studied by special probes, which were photographed at a depth of 6000–8000 m of angler, sea devil and other terrifying fish.
There are legends that huge 25-meter sharks are found in the Mariana Trench. Scientists even found trophies - bones, shark teeth and other fossils. But this does not indicate that sharks still live there now. Perhaps they were here far in antiquity.
The deepest places in the world's oceans
Each of the four oceans has its own deep place. The lowest point is in the Pacific Ocean, but what about other trenches and depressions?
Puerto Rico Trench
The Puerto Rico Ocean Trench is located at the junction caribbean and the Atlantic Ocean. The absolute depth of the trench reaches 8385 m. This area, due to the structure of the relief, is often subject to tremors and high volcanic activity. Nearby islands suffer from constant tsunamis and earthquakes.
Java depression
Java Depression (or Sunda Trench) - the deepest place indian ocean. Gutter stretches for 4-5 thousand kilometers, and the lowest point reaches 7729 m. The name of the depression was due to the proximity to the island of Java. The bottom of the trench is an alternation of plains and canyons with ridges and ledges.
Greenland Sea
Part of the Northern Arctic Ocean which is on crossing Iceland with Greenland and Jan Mayen Island is called the Greenland Sea.
Sea area - 1.2 million square meters. km. Average depth of water area is 1444 m, and the deepest point is 5527 m below sea level. Most of the relief of the seabed is a huge basin with underwater ridges.
This deepest trench in Europe. There is a lot of commercial fish here, which is caught by fishermen of nearby islands.
Inland basins of Russia
Deep depressions are located not only in the waters of the oceans. A prime example This is the Baikal Rift, located in. The lake itself is considered the deepest on Earth, so it is not surprising that the lowest inland place is located here. Lake Baikal is surrounded by mountains, so the elevation differences between ocean level and the rift exceeds the mark of 3615 m.
Important! The depression reaches 1637 m in depth and is the largest depth of Lake Baikal.
Depression of Lake Ladoga. Ladoga lake located in the Republic of Karelia. He is considered the largest freshwater lake on the territory of Europe. The average depth of the lake ranges from 70-220 m, but it reaches its absolute maximum in one place - 223 m below sea level.
Caspian Sea. Caspian lake located on the border of Europe and Asia. It is the largest enclosed body of water on earth, which is why it is often referred to as the Caspian Sea.
On the Russian side, the reservoir borders on the islands of the Volga and, but most of The Caspian Sea is located on the territory of Kazakhstan. Max Depth lake is 1025 m below sea level.
Khanty lake. Occupies third place among the deepest places in Russia. The maximum depth here reaches 420 m. The reservoir is located in the Krasnoyarsk Territory. There is not much data about this place, but this is enough to make Khantai Lake one of the deepest places in Russia.
inland depressions
Our Earth is rich in relief. You can see many high mountains, thousands of endless plains and hundreds of depressions. Below is a list of the deepest places recorded worldwide:
- Jordanian rift valley(Ghor) - located at the intersection of Syria, Jordan and Israel. The deepest place is 804 m.
- The depression of Lake Tanganyika is located in Central Africa and is longest freshwater lake in the world. The deepest place is 696 m.
- The Great Slave Lake Depression is located in Canada. Maximum low place- 614 m. This is the deepest trench in North America.
- Great Bear Lake Depression - also located in Canada and is rich uranium deposits. The deepest place is 288 m.
Science's view of the deepest places
Dive to the bottom of the earth with Cameron
Conclusion
In fact, there are dozens of deep places in the world. Many of them can be found at the bottom of reservoirs, others - in the Earth itself. This topic is quite interesting, and scientists are studying such places. Now you know where the deepest place on Earth is located, in which ocean located deepest depression and what interesting places world are studied by experts.
We still know very little about our planet. This is especially true of the depths of the oceans and seas. But even on land there are places that amaze the human imagination. For example, the deepest places on Earth. What do we know about them and where are the most low points the earth's surface - more on that later.
IN Everyday life it is rare to find huge holes or cliffs, but our planet has a varied landscape. Along with the highest mountain peaks meet and the deepest places on our planet- How natural origin as well as those created by human hands.
1 642 m
It would be a mistake to assume that the deepest places on Earth are only in the oceans and seas. Baikal has a depth of 1,642 meters and is among the lakes. locals Therefore, Baikal is often called the sea. This depth is explained tectonic origin lakes. Many other records and amazing discoveries are associated with this place. Baikal can be called the largest natural reservoir fresh water on the ground. Exactly this ancient lake on our planet (it is more than 25 million years old) and two-thirds of the flora and fauna of the reservoir are not found anywhere else.
Cave Krubera-Voronya 2 196 m
There are also giants among the caves. The Krubera-Voronya cave (Abkhazia) belongs to the deepest places on Earth. Its depth is 2196 meters. It should be noted that we are talking about the studied part of the cave. It is possible that the next expedition will go even lower and set a new depth record. karst cave consists of wells interconnected by passages and galleries. It was first opened in 1960. Then cavers were able to descend to a depth of 95 meters. The two-kilometer barrier was overcome by the Ukrainian expedition of speleologists in 2004.
TauTona Mine 4,000 m
Tau Tona Mine South Africa This is the deepest mine in the world. It is located in the Republic of South Africa, not far from Johannesburg. This world's greatest gold mine goes into the ground for 4 kilometers. At this incredible depth lies a whole underground city with a network of kilometer tunnels. To get to their workplace, the miners have to spend about an hour. Working at this depth is associated with big amount hazards are humidity, reaching 100% in some branches of the mine, high air temperature, the risk of explosion from gas leaking into the tunnels and collapse from earthquakes, which occur here quite often. But all the dangers of work and the costs of maintaining the functionality of the mine are generously paid off by the mined gold - in the entire history of the mine's existence, 1,200 tons of precious metal have been mined here.
12,262 m
The most deep well on Earth - the Kola superdeep well, which is located on the territory of Russia. This is one of the most unusual and interesting experiments performed by Soviet scientists. Drilling began in 1970 and had only one goal - to learn more about the Earth's crust. Kola Peninsula chosen for the experiment for the reason that here the oldest rocks of the Earth, about 3 million years old, come to the surface. They were also of great interest to scientists. The depth of the well is 12,262 meters. It allowed to make unexpected discoveries and forced to reconsider scientific ideas about the occurrence of rocks Earth. Unfortunately, the well, created for a purely scientific purpose, did not find application in subsequent years, and a decision was made to conserve it.
9 810 m
In 1873-76, the American oceanographic ship Tuscarora conducted surveys of the seabed for the laying of an underwater cable. Lot abandoned at Japanese islands Izu recorded a depth of 8,500 meters. Later, the Soviet ship "Vityaz" in 1955 set the maximum depth of the depression - 9810 meters.
10,542 m
- this is not only one of the deepest places on Earth, the depression is also the narrowest in the Pacific Ocean. The width of the gutter is 59 meters, and the maximum depth is 10,542 meters. The basin is located in the northwestern part of the Pacific Ocean. In the middle of the last century, Soviet scientists were engaged in its study on the Vityaz ship. No more detailed research has been done. The gutter was opened by the American ship Tuscarora and bore this name for a long time until it was renamed.
10,047 m
Located in the Pacific Ocean off the Kermadec Islands. The maximum depth of the depression is 10,047 meters. Investigated by the Soviet vessel "Vityaz". In 2008, at a depth of 7 kilometers in the Kermadec Trench, a previously unknown species of sea slugs from the snail fish family was discovered. The researchers were also surprised by other abodes of this deepest place on Earth - huge 30-centimeter crustaceans.
10 540 m
Opens the top three deepest points on the planet. 10,540 meters - this is its depth. It was formed millions of years ago as a result of the collision of the earth's plates. Located in the east of the Philippine archipelago. By the way, scientists have long believed that the Philippine depression is the most deep water point Pacific Ocean.
10 882 m
It is located in the southwestern part of the Pacific Ocean, near the islands of Tonga. This area is extremely interesting because it is a very active seismic zone. Several strong earthquakes occur here every year. The depth of the gutter is 10,882 meters. It is only 100 meters smaller than the Mariana Trench. The difference is about a percent, but it puts the Tonga Trench in second place on the list of the deepest places on Earth.
10 994 m
It is located in the western part of the Pacific Ocean and is shaped like a crescent moon. The length of the gutter is more than 2.5 thousand kilometers, and the deepest point is 10,994 meters. It is called the Challenger Deep.
The deepest place on Earth was discovered in 1875 by the English ship Challenger. To date, the depression is the most studied of all the other deep-sea trenches. They tried to reach its bottom during four dives: in 1960, 1995, 2009 and 2012. IN last time director James Cameron descended into the Mariana Trench all alone. Most of all, the bottom of the trough reminded him of the lifeless lunar surface. But, unlike the Earth's satellite, the Mariana Trench is inhabited by living organisms. Researchers have found toxic amoebae, mollusks and deep-sea fish here that look very frightening. Since there has not been a full-scale study of the trench, except for short-term dives, the Mariana Trench may still hide a lot of interesting things.
Above us is the boundless sky, billions of stars and mass unknown planets who may one day become closer to us. However, space for us is not the most big mystery. About a dozen people have visited the moon, and only three have visited some points on our earth (ocean trenches). This is associated with a huge risk to life. These places are the deepest and most impregnable corners of our earth, these are depressions and cracks in the oceans, the secrets of our planet, which are closed from the eyes of all mankind, where sunlight where no man has gone before.
An ocean trench is a long, significant in depth (at least 5 km) crack or depression on the ocean floor, formed due to the convergence of plates, constantly changing in shape, depth and length. In such places, volcanic eruptions and powerful earthquakes are usually recorded. Despite the development of technology, scientists have not been able to establish the exact depth of many depressions, but nevertheless, research is constantly being conducted in this area, data on coordinates and depth are regularly collected. deep sea trenches world ocean.
The Challenger Abyss is the last frontier of mankind, one of the amazing mysteries of our planet and the deepest place on earth. This point of the planet is located near the Mariana Islands, in the trough of the same name, which impresses with its length (almost 70 km in length) and depth indicators (almost 11 km). The abyss is located on the site of the largest tectonic Pacific plate, docking with the Mariana.
IN Mariana Trench hidden secrets of the origin of life on our Earth and how the geological processes occurring in ocean depths, affect the evolution and formation of the entire planet. In this place, there is a slow movement of the plates (only a few cm per year), resulting in a huge fault. It is so wide that it could easily swallow Mount Everest, and there would still be 2 km left to the surface of the water.
At the very bottom of the depression live animals that do without photosynthesis, they do not need sunlight, they withstand lethal pressure, which for us is comparable to three SUVs, put on the little toe of the toe. Scientists involved in the study of the abyss have proven that it is hostile and dangerous place with their unknown oases of life. It beckons and forces to rethink everything known about being on our planet.
According to existing data, today the second place in depth (more than 10.8 km) belongs to the Tonga Trench, the length of which is 860 km (the length of the underwater ridge of the Southern Hemisphere). This trench is unusual in that the lithospheric plates in this part of the planet move at a speed of 25.4 cm per year, which exceeds all known. So, the nearby island of Nyautoputanu annually changes its location by 25 cm.
This region of the ocean is very attractive for both deep-sea explorers and amateurs. comfortable rest. Temperature surface water depressions in the winter months does not fall below 21 ° C, which ensures the richness and diversity of the flora and fauna of the ocean.
Philippine Trench
The Pacific Ocean holds the record for the deepest places, one of them is in the area Philippine Islands. This prominent place- Philippine depression, the depth of which is more than 10.5 km from the surface of the water.
Until the 70s, scientists believed that the Philippine Trench was the deepest place on our planet, until the entire Mariana region was explored.
Puerto Rico Trench
The Caribbean Sea is bordered by the deepest and most seismically active place in Atlantic Ocean- Puerto Rican Trench. The depth of the depression is more than 8.3 km. Residents of islands located near an active trench suffer from eruptions with a constant frequency underwater volcanoes and tremors that bring destructive tsunamis to their home.
Our planet is a living organism, most of which is located at depth, which means that all the secrets and their clues are hidden under the water column of the ocean, which occupies almost three-quarters of the entire surface. But the moment will come when even the most remote and inhospitable places on our Earth will be explored and humanity will receive answers to its questions.
