The deepest places on earth. The biggest, deepest ocean

Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean is the largest and most deep ocean on the ground. The area with the seas is 178.7 million km², the volume is 710 million km³, average depth 3980 m, maximum 11022 m (Marian Trench).

The Pacific Ocean occupies half of the entire water surface of the Earth, and more than 30% of the planet's surface area. It is located on both sides of the equator. This ocean separates and simultaneously connects the coasts of five continents. The Pacific Ocean is especially wide near the equator, so it is the warmest on the surface. Previously, it was called "Great".

The World Ocean washes the Earth with inseparable waters and is by its nature a single element that acquires different properties with a change in latitude. Off the coast of Greenland and Antarctica, in the roaring winds of the forties, storms rage all year round. In the tropics, the sun bakes mercilessly, the trade winds blow, and only sometimes destructive hurricanes rush through. But after all, the vast World Ocean is also divided by continents into separate oceans, each of which has its own special natural features.

The Pacific Ocean is the largest, deepest and oldest of the oceans. Its main features - great depths, frequent movements of the earth's crust, many volcanoes at the bottom, a huge supply of heat in its waters, an exceptional diversity of the organic world.

In the east of the ocean coastline It is poorly dissected, several peninsulas and bays stand out. In the west, the banks are heavily indented. There are many seas here. Among them there are shelf ones, located on the continental shelf, with depths of no more than 100 m. Some seas lie in the zone of interaction of lithospheric plates. They are deep and separated from the ocean by island arcs.

Many peoples inhabiting the Pacific shores and islands from ancient times made voyages on the ocean, mastered its riches. The beginning of the penetration of Europeans into the Pacific Ocean coincided with the era of the Great geographical discoveries. The ships of F. Magellan crossed a huge body of water from east to west. All this time, the sea was surprisingly calm, which gave Magellan reason to call it the Pacific Ocean.

Much information about the nature of the ocean was obtained during the voyages of J. Cook. A great contribution to the study of the ocean and the islands in it was made by Russian expeditions under the direction of I. F. Kruzenshtern, M. P. Lazarev, V. M. Golovnin, Yu. F. Lisyansky. In the same 19th century complex studies were carried out by S. O. Makarov on the ship "Vityaz". Regular scientific flights since 1949 were made by Soviet expedition ships. By studying Pacific Ocean engaged in special international organization.

Bottom relief, climate, plants and animals

The relief of the ocean floor is complex. The continental shelf (shelf) is well developed only off the coast of Asia and Australia. Continental slopes are steep, often stepped. Large uplifts and ridges divide the ocean floor into basins. Near America is the East Pacific Rise, which is part of the system of mid-ocean ridges. At the bottom of the ocean there are more than 10 thousand individual seamounts, mostly of volcanic origin.

The lithospheric plate, on which the Pacific Ocean lies, interacts with other plates at its boundaries. The edges of the Pacific Plate plunge into a tight space of trenches that encircle the ocean. These movements give rise to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Here lies the famous "Ring of Fire" of the planet and the most deep depression- Mariana (11022 m).

The climate of the ocean is varied. The Pacific Ocean is located in all climatic zones, except for the north polar. Above its vast expanses, the air is saturated with moisture. Up to 2000 mm of precipitation falls in the equator region. From the cold Arctic Ocean, the Pacific is protected by land and underwater ridges, therefore Northern part its warmer than the south.

The Pacific Ocean is the most restless and formidable among the oceans of the planet. IN central parts trade winds blow it. In the western - monsoons are developed. In winter, a cold and dry monsoon comes from the mainland, which has a significant impact on the climate of the ocean; some of the seas are covered with ice. Often over western part devastating tropical hurricanes rush through the ocean - typhoons "typhoon" means " strong wind"). In temperate latitudes, storms rage throughout the cold half of the year. Westerly transport of air prevails here. Most high waves heights up to 30 m are noted in the north and south of the Pacific Ocean. Hurricanes raise entire water mountains in it.

The properties of water masses are determined by the characteristics of the climate. Due to the large extent of the ocean from north to south mean annual temperature water on the surface varies from -1 to +29 °С. In general, precipitation in the ocean prevails over evaporation, so salinity surface water it is somewhat lower than in other oceans.

Currents in the Pacific Ocean are consistent with general scheme them in the oceans, which you already know. Since the Pacific Ocean is strongly elongated from west to east, it is dominated by latitudinal water flows. Both in the northern and southern parts of the ocean, ring-shaped movements of surface waters are formed.

The organic world of the Pacific Ocean is distinguished by an extraordinary richness and diversity of plant and animal species. Half of the total mass of living organisms of the oceans lives in it. This feature of the ocean is explained by its size, diversity natural conditions and age. Life is especially rich in tropical and equatorial latitudes near coral reefs. In the northern "part of the ocean there are a lot of salmon fish. In the southeast of the ocean near the coast of South America, huge accumulations of fish form. The water masses here are very fertile, they develop a lot of plant and animal plankton, which feed on anchovies (herring-like fish up to 16 cm long), horse mackerel, butterfish, mackerel, etc. Birds eat a lot of fish here: cormorants, pelicans, penguins.

Interesting about the Pacific Ocean

Whales, fur seals, sea beavers live in the ocean (these pinnipeds live only in the Pacific Ocean). There are also many invertebrates - corals, sea ​​urchins, shellfish (octopus, squid). The largest mollusk lives here - tridacna, weighing up to 250 kg.

Each of the belts of the Pacific Ocean has its own characteristics. The northern subpolar belt occupies a small part of the Bering and Seas of Okhotsk. The temperature of the water masses here is low (up to -1 °C). In these seas, there is an active mixing of waters, and therefore they are rich in fish (pollock, flounder, herring). There are a lot of salmon fish and crabs in the Sea of ​​Okhotsk.

Vast territories cover the northern temperate zone. It is strongly influenced by westerly winds, storms are frequent here. In the west of this belt lies the Sea of ​​Japan - one of the richest in diverse species of organisms.

In the equatorial belt at the boundaries of currents, where the rise of deep waters to the surface increases and their biological productivity increases, many fish live (sharks, tuna, sailboats, etc.).

In the southern tropical Pacific off the coast of Australia is a unique natural complex Big barrier reef. It is the largest on earth mountain range created by living organisms. It is comparable in size to Ural ridge. Under the protection of islands and reefs in warm waters coral colonies develop in the form of bushes and trees, columns, castles, bouquets of flowers, mushrooms; corals are light green, yellow, red, blue, purple. Many mollusks, echinoderms, crustaceans, and various fish live here.

On the shores and islands of the Pacific Ocean there are more than 50 coastal countries where about half of humanity lives.

Usage natural resources ocean began in antiquity. Several centers of navigation arose here - in China, in Oceania, in South America, on the Aleutian Islands.

The Pacific Ocean plays an important role in the life of many nations. Half of the world's fish catch comes from this ocean. In addition to fish, various shellfish, crabs, shrimp, and krill make up part of the catch. In Japan on seabed growing algae and shellfish. In some countries from sea ​​water extract salt and other chemicals, desalinate it. Metal placers are being developed on the shelf. Oil is being produced off the coast of California and Australia. Ferromanganese ores have been found at the bottom of the ocean.

Through the greatest ocean of our planet pass important transport routes, the length of these routes is very large. Navigation is well developed, mainly along the coasts of the mainland.

Human economic activity in the Pacific Ocean has led to pollution of its waters, to the depletion of some species biological resources. So, by the end of the XVIII century. mammals were exterminated - sea cows (a type of pinnipeds), discovered by one of the participants in the expedition of V. Bering. On the verge of extinction at the beginning of the twentieth century. there were seals, the number of whales decreased. Currently, their fishery is limited. Great danger in the ocean represents water pollution by oil, some heavy metals and waste from the nuclear industry. Harmful substances are carried by currents throughout the ocean. Even off the coast of Antarctica, these substances have been found in the composition of marine organisms.

The bottom of the oceans is uneven, it is cut through by gorges, the depth of which is tens of thousands of meters. The relief was formed millions of years ago due to movement tectonic plates- "shells" of the earth's crust. Due to their continuous movement, the location and shape of the continents and the ocean floor changed. The deepest on the planet is the Pacific Ocean, which at this stage in the development of technology cannot be fully explored.

The Pacific Ocean is the largest on the planet. On its western latitudes lie the continents of Australia and Eurasia, on the south - Antarctica, on the east - South and North America. The length of the Pacific Ocean from south to north is almost 16 thousand kilometers, and from west to east - 19 thousand. The area of ​​the ocean, together with its seas, is 178.684 million kilometers, and the average depth is about 4 kilometers. But there are amazing places in the Pacific Ocean that make it the deepest in the world.

Mariana Trench - the deepest place in the ocean

This deepest crevice got its name in honor of the nearby Mariana Islands. The depth of the Pacific Ocean in this place is 10 kilometers 994 meters. The deepest point of the trough is called "Challenger Abyss". Geographically, the "Abyss" is located 340 km from the southwestern tip of the island of Guam.

If we take Mount Everest for comparison, which, as you know, rises above sea level by 8848 m, it can completely disappear under water and there will still be room.

In 2010, an oceanographic oceanographic expedition from New Hampshire carried out studies of the ocean floor in the area Mariana Trench. Scientists have discovered four seamounts at least 2.5 kilometers high each, crossing the surface of the trench at the point of contact between the Philippine and Pacific lithospheric plates. According to scientists, these ranges were formed about 180 million years ago as a result of the movement of the above-mentioned plates and the gradual creep of the older and heavier Pacific plate under the Philippine one. The maximum depth of the Pacific Ocean was recorded here.

Diving into the abyss

Into the depths of the Challenger Abyss descended four times deep-sea submersibles with three people:

1. Brussels explorer Jacques Picard, together with US Navy lieutenant John Walsh, were the first to dare to look into the face of the abyss. This happened on January 23, 1960. The deepest descent in the world was made on the Trieste bathyscaphe, designed by Auguste Picart, Jacques's father. This, no doubt, feat became a record in the world deep diving. The descent lasted 4 hours 48 minutes, and the ascent 3 hours 15 minutes. Researchers found at the bottom of the gutter large flat fish, resembling a flounder in appearance. The lowest point of the World Ocean was recorded - 10,918 meters. Later, Picard wrote the book "11 thousand meters", describing all the moments of the dive.
2. On May 31, 1995, a deep-sea Japanese probe was launched into the depression, which recorded a depth of 10,911 m and also discovered ocean inhabitants - microorganisms.
3. On May 31, 2009, the Nerey automatic apparatus set off for reconnaissance, which stopped at 10,902 m. He filmed a video, took pictures of the bottom landscape and collected soil samples, in which microorganisms were also found.
4. Finally, on March 26, 2012, filmmaker James Cameron accomplished the feat of solo diving into the Challenger Deep. Cameron became the third person on Earth to visit the bottom of the oceans in its deepest place. Single apparatus The Deepsea Challenger was equipped with advanced deep-sea imaging equipment and powerful lighting equipment. Filming was done in 3G format. The Challenger Abyss is featured in documentary James Cameron for the National Geographic Channel.

This basin is located at the junction of the Indo-Australian Platform and the Pacific Plate. Extends from the Kermadec Trench towards the Tonga Islands. Its length is 860 km, and its depth is 10,882 m, which is the record of the Southern Hemisphere and the second deepest on the planet. The Tonga region is notorious for being one of the most active seismic zones.

In 1970, on April 17, when the Apollo 13 spacecraft returned to earth, the fired landing stage containing plutonium fell into the Tonga trench to a depth of 6 km. No attempt was made to extract it from there.

Philippine Trench

The second deepest place in the Pacific Ocean is located in the area Philippine Islands. The recorded depth of the depression is 10,540 m. The depression was formed as a result of the collision of granite and basalt layers, the latter, as a heavier one, undermined the granite layer. The process of meeting two lithospheric plates is called subduction, and the place of "meeting" is the subduction zone. In such places, tsunamis are born and earthquakes occur.

The depression runs along the volcanic ridge Kuril Islands on the border between Japan and Russia. The length of the trench is 1300 km, and the maximum depth is 10500 m. The depression was formed more than 65 million years ago during the Cretaceous period as a result of the collision of two tectonic plates.

It is located near the Kermadec Islands, which is in the northeast of New Zealand and in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. The trench was first discovered by the Galatea group from Denmark, and the Soviet research vessel Vityaz studied the bottom of the trench in 1958 and recorded a maximum depth of 10,047 m. In 2008, an unknown species of sea slugs was found at the bottom of the trench, as well as up to 30 cm.

Video: inhabitants of the Mariana Trench

Our blue planet is full of secrets, and we humans strive to comprehend them. We are naturally curious, learning from the past and looking to the future with hope. The ocean is the cradle of mankind. When will he reveal his secrets to us? Ta greatest depth The Pacific Ocean, which is known to scientists - are these figures true, or is the incomprehensible hidden under the black water?

Which is more - Quiet or Atlantic Ocean? In what natural basin could fit all the continents on the planet? Covering about 178 million km 2 and containing more than half of all free water on the planet, the Pacific Ocean is the most voluminous.

Big and ancient

The Pacific Ocean is considered the oldest of the current ocean basins. Its ancient rocks are approximately 200 million years old. The basin is also called the "Ring of Fire" because of the intense earthquakes and volcanic activity, fixed near areas of movement of tectonic plates. Answering the question of which is larger - the Pacific or the Atlantic Ocean, it is worth noting that both of them are leaders, although the waters of the Atlantic take an honorable, but second place. Then follow the Indian, South and, finally, the Arctic.

and great discoveries

In the old days before they were possible air travel, the only way, other than land, to get abroad and see new countries and continents was the sea route.

Legendary explorers such as Christopher Columbus and Sir sailed the waves of the world on a ship, taking part in various epic adventures and discovering new countries, cultures and much more. Previously, no one could have guessed which one was larger - the Pacific or the Atlantic Ocean, because all travel was made almost blindly. With the advent geographical maps things got easier.

Pacific Ocean and its islands

Most big ocean literally stretches from the Arctic in the north to Antarctica in the south and borders on almost all continents. Some of the most beautiful tropical islands are found in its basin, from Hawaii in the north to Tahiti in the south. The names of the most magical places just fall off the tongue: Bora Bora, Rarotonga and Maui.

In fact, there are about 10,000 islands in the Pacific Ocean. The largest of them is Melanesia, which includes New Guinea(the second largest island in the world), romantic Fiji and Solomon islands. To the north of the equator are Kiribati, Guama and Polynesia occupies vast expanses. It includes Hawaii in the north, New Zealand in the south, Easter Island in the east and Tonga in the west.

And yet: is the Pacific Ocean the largest or the Atlantic?

Atlantic Ocean and its islands

The mighty Atlantic Ocean borders Greenland, Europe, Africa, North and South America. Canary Islands located off the coast of Africa. The Atlantic also borders Iceland, Ireland and Robben in South Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket in the US and the Eastern Caribbean. Which is bigger - the Pacific or the Atlantic Ocean?

The waters of the Atlantic cover about 20% of the total surface of the planet, covering 91.66 million km2. From this it is clear that the Pacific Ocean is large in area, and almost 2 times.

The most deep

It is no longer a secret which ocean is larger - the Pacific or the Atlantic. The equator conditionally divides the Pacific Ocean into northern and southern parts. In addition, the largest natural pool is also the deepest. On average, the depth reaches 3.9 kilometers. The Atlantic Ocean in this regard is inferior by as much as 20%. What is the deepest ocean? The answer is the same - Quiet.

The Mariana Trench in the northwest is the deepest point in the world. Its depth is more than 11 kilometers.

Is the water warm in the Pacific Ocean?

The water temperature in the Pacific Ocean varies by location. In some areas near the equator, it reaches 30 degrees Celsius, while near the poles this figure drops to 18-20 degrees.

What is the largest ocean after the Pacific Ocean?

When it comes to size, the Atlantic Ocean ranks 2nd as it covers one-fifth total area the surface of the earth. This is about 102 million km2. This massive water giant covers about 20% of the entire earth's surface and about 25% of the volume of the oceans. It was named after the myths ancient Greek mythology, where the Atlantic was referred to as the "Sea of ​​​​Atlas".

The third is the Atlantic Ocean in its depth, which averages about 3.6 km. The most low point- Puerto Rico trench (8.742 km). In second place is Indian Ocean with an average depth of 3.7 km. Its deepest point is located at and goes down 7.7 km. Northern Arctic Ocean- on the fourth position. Its average depth is 1 km, and the lowest point is located in the Greenland Sea - 5.5 km.

So, we answered the question of which ocean is larger - the Pacific or the Atlantic, and which one is deeper. Interesting fact is also associated with the name of the very ocean on the planet. It was called quiet famous navigator and explorer Ferdinand Magellan in 1520. During his journey, the huge reservoir seemed to him calm and peaceful. However, it was just a lucky coincidence of circumstances and weather conditions.

The seabed is strewn with thousands of underwater volcanoes

In fact, the Pacific Ocean is not so peaceful. For modern researchers managed to confirm the existence of the world's largest volcano, which in size resembles British Isles. It is located in the Pacific Ocean, 1.5 thousand kilometers east of Japan. The massive volcano is also quite unique due to its low and wide shape. Its flatness is due to the fact that its lava flowed over long distances compared to most other volcanoes on the planet.

Called Tamu, this massif covers about 193 thousand km 2, which is much more than the Hawaiian Mauna Loa - the largest active volcano on Earth, which covers about 3 sq. km. The best analogue can be considered dormant volcano Olympus Mons on the planet Mars, which is approximately 25 percent larger in volume than the ocean on planet Earth.

Once I read a book that collected the legends of the inhabitants Pacific Ocean. According to one of them, in the deepest place lives giant octopus, whose tentacles hold the whole world. Who knows, because the deepest place has not been finally explored...

The deepest ocean in the world

Certainly this is a great Pacific Ocean- the oldest and largest of all the globe. Its area is so large that it can freely accommodate all the islands and continents. The widest place in the area equator, and the outer outline of the ocean resembles an oval. The deepest section Mariana Trench. This place is little studied, because the depth reaches 11000 meters.

Above all, this ocean contains the largest number islands. Some are uninhabited and some are inhabited natives whose culture is very unique. The settlement of the islands began around 7000 years ago when the Asian natives migrated to the islands. Due to the insignificance of the population and the dispersal of the islands, they did not succeed at all in creating civilization.

Mysteries of the Pacific

In addition to the fact that the ocean is the deepest and most full-flowing, it is also "an ocean of mysteries". Within its boundaries are concentrated a lot of amazing and mysterious places . Here are some of them:

• Mount Kasimakaisan;
• sea ​​of ​​the Devil;

Mount Kasimakaisan. Despite the rather impressive height - 4000 meters, this mountain was known only to a few. And all because it seamount located close to the islands Japan. It was discovered in 1936, and according to the results of recent studies, it turned out that the peak was split in two.

Sea Devil. This place is no less mysterious than the enigmatic Bermuda Triangle . The sailors who sailed in this zone repeatedly recorded strange noises that came from the depths. Sometimes it was something like a rumbling, and sometimes a deafening gurgle. Some sounds last a few minutes, and some have been heard for many years. Scientists believe the sounds could be caused by eruptions, icebergs, and even unknown sea animal.

Easter Island. In the southern part of the ocean there is a popular island due to its idols. In total there are about 1000 statues carved from solid rock. The largest has a height 23 meters, and its weight is more 16 Tons. Each of them is unique and decorated with a special pattern. It is assumed that the statues were erected in honor of a deity or dead leaders, but the exact purpose is unknown.

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My element is water. As a child, my favorite cartoon was The Little Mermaid, in my games I imagined myself as an inhabitant sea ​​depths. Now that I'm older, I like movies about pirates, divers and underwater treasure hunters. The ocean fascinates me. And the fact that it has not been fully explored only fuels interest. And so I thought which ocean is the deepest And what secrets does he keep?

The deepest ocean is the Pacific

The Pacific Ocean is the most-most on our planet. He largest in area And deepest. It is the most violent and the most dangerous. It's surprising that it has such an inappropriate name. The fact is that Ferdinand Magellan, who gave the ocean its name, crossed it during the calm season and never got into a strong storm during the journey. In my opinion, this ocean is more suitable for the name "Great", which in 1753 was proposed by the French geographer ANDen-Nicholas Buache. However, this name did not take root, and the ocean is still called the Pacific Ocean.

Scientists say that the average depth of the Pacific Ocean is 3984 m. And the deepest place is in Mariana Trench and its depth is - 10 994 m. Just an incredible number! And I was wondering how you can measure such a depth?

How is ocean depth measured?

It turns out that people have been trying to measure the depth of the ocean for a very long time. Previously, the measurement was done using a rope with a load tied to the end. This load was lowered into the water and, along the length of the rope, a conclusion was drawn about the depth of the bottom in this place.

Later, oceanologists came up with an interesting way to accurately measure the depth of the seas and oceans. This method is called depth listening. It uses a special device to study the ocean floor - echo sounder.

The measurement method is as follows. The device on board the ship sends a sound signal. The sound travels through the water column and, reflected from the bottom, returns and is captured by the echo sounder. Scientists note the time it takes sound to travel to the bottom and back, and so calculate the depth. A modern echo sounder sends ultrasonic waves, which are registered by a special device and plotted on paper.

Studying the ocean floor, scientists came to the conclusion that at different depths the landscape is very different. This, of course, affected the inhabitants of the ocean. Appearance, the diet and behavior of deep-sea individuals are not at all similar to those that live at shallow depths.

Amazing inhabitants of the depths of the Pacific Ocean

When I look at photographs of these creatures, it's hard for me to imagine that they really exist. They look like some kind of fantastical creatures from an adventure novel to me.

These Pacific people impressed me the most:

• acupuncture;
• frilled shark;
• deep sea angler.

Iglorot looks intimidating. Despite its not impressive size, about 15 centimeters, this fish is able to scare anyone away from itself. This creature lives in the deep over 1800 meters where almost no sunlight penetrates. Therefore, the needlemouth itself illuminates its own path, using its bioluminescent organs to illuminate.

frilled shark looks like a prehistoric monster. At one glance, it seems that he fell into the era of dinosaurs. Study her behavior natural environment scientists have not been able to on the surface, this fish dies. What secrets this predator keeps, we can only guess.

It is hard to imagine how many more amazing discoveries we have to make while studying the deepest ocean on the planet.

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Found the latest news. On October 1, 2017, a video appeared on the network with two unidentified flying objects. The version that, at the bottom of the ocean, aliens are conducting their research - new hit among internet news. One of the UFOs apparently sank to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, the deepest in the world. And the second one disappeared. What's under the water?

What is hidden at the bottom of the deepest ocean in the world

big water hides terrible secrets. I remember from the lessons of history the terrible destruction Japanese islands nuclear weapons. The ill-fated ship USS Indianapolis, on which American sailors brought up components nuclear bomb, in August of this year found at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.

The ship and crew were left to fend for themselves. More likely, no one was going to save the sailors They might know things that shouldn't be told. So, in the conditions of the wild ocean, sailors died from shark attacks, impotence and disease. In such conditions, three hundred people out of two thousand miraculously survived.

Mysteries of the nature of the ocean

Peering into the depths, you can consider:

• Ostrov, which is not;
• crab migration;
• new types of living beings.

Near Panama at a depth of about 400 meters, an amazing phenomenon was accidentally filmed from a submarine. The crabs were moving in a certain direction, overtaking each other, at a slow pace. They climbed one over the other. What has become the cause of extraordinary behavior is a mystery, which oceanologists are studying today.

At a depth of four hundred thousand meters there is a plain, geographically it can be represented between California and Hawaii. It's very cold at the bottom. But unique living beings unknown to science live on the surface of the water. Some of them cannot be attributed to any family of known organisms.

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As a child, I had a book - "The seas and oceans of the planet." In it I read about many amazing places oceans, including the deepest place on our planet.

deepest ocean

The largest ocean on the planet is not at all distinguished by a calm "temper". In my time Magellan very lucky to pass its waters without encountering any serious storms, and therefore he named it "Quiet". If we count the entire water surface of our planet as 100%, then it turns out that this ocean accounts for almost 47%. And if we imagine that all the land is one mainland, then all of it will be significantly inferior in area to the great ocean. The deepest place is also within it - Mariana Trench - over 11,000 meters. In addition to the Mariana Trench, there are other deep points where the depth reaches 10,000 meters:

• Kemadek;
• Tonga;

• Philippine Trench.

As for the number of islands, Pacific Ocean- the undisputed leader, within which are scattered over 30,000 islands different sizes.

Features of the great ocean

fire ring. This is the name of the area at the junctions continental plates. Within it is concentrated most of active volcanoes of our planet, and the largest number of tremors is recorded. Why is it of interest to scientists? First of all, actually 95% of all earthquakes that occur recorded here, and most of them are among the strongest in the history of our planet. This is direct evidence that the process formation of continents in this area continues to this day.

Tsunami. These waves, which demolish everything in their path, in fact, " business card» Pacific Ocean. They differ from the usual waves not at all in height, as many believe. It's not exactly a wave, but movement of the entire water column. That is why they go on land, flooding coastal areas. Their number can be from 2 to 30, depending on the power of the earthquake. The ridges go one after another with an interval of up to 2 hours and even more. Therefore, after a tsunami, it is strictly forbidden to go ashore without waiting at least 4 hours. A characteristic sign of an approaching danger is abrupt retreat of the water from the shore, and the further the water goes, the higher the wave will be.

Which ocean is the deepest and why is the water salty in it - a short description of this issue. The oceans are still a mystery to us. We don't even know their exact age. Perhaps, initially, the Earth's oceans did not exist. Modern man actively studying the ocean floor.

It is already reliably known that up to a mark of 3600 m, the ocean floor is lined with soft silty deposits - calcareous skeletons of the smallest marine animals. Deeper than 6 km, the bottom is covered with fine red silt, it is also called "red clay". It contains the smallest particles of dead animals and small marine plants, volcanic ash.

The depth of the oceans is determined by sending sound waves into the depths and capturing the reflected signal. At the same time, the time it takes for the sound to reach the bottom and back is fixed; then the resulting value is divided in half.

These measurements give us a pretty good idea of ​​the average depth of the oceans and where the depth is greatest.

Which ocean is the deepest - the deepest ocean on Earth - is the Pacific

(the average depth of which is 4,281 m).

The second place is occupied by the Indian Ocean

(its average depth is 3,963 m).

Atlantic Ocean - in third place

(average depth is 3,926 m).

By the way, for comparison: the depth Baltic Sea is only 55 m!

And the average depth of the Hudson Bay, which is larger than some seas, is only 183 m.

The deepest place in the ocean is near the Guam Islands (Atlantic Ocean) - 10,790 m.

Why is ocean water salty

Sometimes we are faced with questions relating to our planet Earth that have not yet been answered. For example, the presence of salt in the oceans. How did she get there?

We don't know where the salt in the ocean comes from! Of course, salt dissolved in rainwater is known to end up in the oceans. This is an ongoing process.

But this does not explain the huge amount of salt in the oceans. If it were possible to drain all the oceans, a wall 2 km thick could be built from the resulting salt, with a height equal to 230 km. This wall would stretch along the equator across the entire Earth. There is another comparison. The volume of salt dissolved in all oceans exceeds the volume European continent 15 times!

The salt that ends up on our table is mined from salt springs, sea water or by mining rock salt deposits. Sea water contains 3-3.5% salt. But the inland seas - for example, the Black, Red - contain much more salt than the open ones. The Dead Sea (an area of ​​728 sq. km) contains 10,523 million tons of salt.

A liter of sea water contains 30 g of salt. Reserves of rock salt were formed millions of years ago as a result of the evaporation of sea water. Necessary condition salt formation should be the evaporation of nine-tenths of the volume of water. There is an assumption that in places where salt deposits are found, waters once rustled inland seas. Water evaporated much faster than its reserves were replenished. This is how modern deposits of rock salt appeared.

The lion's share of edible salt is extracted from rock salt.

Which ocean is the deepest - and maybe not the Pacific, it is likely that researchers have not yet found deep places in other oceans, devices can also provide erroneous data!