In honor of which it, in fact, got its name. The depression is a 2,550 km long crescent ravine on the ocean floor. with an average width of 69 km. According to the latest measurements (2014) maximum depth Mariana Trench is 10 984 m. This point is located at the southern end of the trench and is called the "Challenger Abyss" (eng. Challenger deep).
The trench was formed at the junction of two lithospheric tectonic plates - Pacific and Philippine. The Pacific plate is older and heavier. For millions of years, it “crawled” under the younger Philippine plate.
Opening
For the first time, the Mariana Trench was discovered by a scientific expedition of a sailing ship " Challenger". Originally a warship, this corvette was converted into a research vessel in 1872 specifically for the Royal Society for the Advancement of Nature. The ship was equipped with biochemical laboratories, instruments for measuring depth, water temperature and soil sampling. In the same year, in December, the ship set out for scientific research and spent three and a half years at sea, covering a distance of 70 thousand nautical miles. At the end of the expedition, which was recognized as one of the most scientifically successful since the famous geographical and scientific discoveries of the 16th century, more than 4,000 new species of animals were described, in-depth studies of almost 500 underwater objects were carried out and soil samples were taken from the most different corners of the world ocean.
Against the background of the important scientific discoveries made by Challenger, the discovery of an underwater trench was especially distinguished, the depth of which amazes the imagination of even contemporaries, not to mention scientists of the 19th century. True, the initial measurements of the depth showed that its depth is just over 8,000 m, but even this value was enough to speak of the discovery of the deepest of known to man points on the planet.
The new trench was named the Mariana Trench after the nearby Mariana Islands, which in turn are named after Marianne of Austria, Queen of Spain, wife of King Philip IV of Spain.
Exploration of the Mariana Trench continued only in 1951. Challenger II investigated the trench with an echo sounder and found that its maximum depth is much deeper than previously thought, and is 10 899 m. This point was given the name "Challenger Abyss" in honor of the first expedition of 1872-1876.
Abyss Challenger
Abyss Challenger is a relatively small flat plain in the south of the Mariana Trench. Its length is 11 km, and its width is about 1.6 km. There are gentle slopes along its edges.
Its exact depth, which is called a meter to a meter, is still unknown. This is due to the errors of the echo sounders and sonars themselves, the changing depth of the world's oceans, as well as the uncertainty that the very bottom of the abyss remains motionless. In 2009, the American vessel Kilo Moana (RV Kilo Moana) determined the depth of 10,971 m with a probability of an error of 22-55 m. Research in 2014 with improved multi-beam echo sounders determined that the depth is 10,984 the value is recorded in reference books and is currently considered the closest to the real one.
Dives
Only four scientific apparatus visited the bottom of the Mariana Trench, and only two expeditions were attended by people.
Project "Nekton"
The first descent into the Challenger Abyss took place in 1960 on a manned submersible “ Trieste", Named after the eponymous Italian city where it was created. It was operated by a US Navy lieutenant. Don Walsh and Swiss oceanographer Jacques Piccard... The device was designed by Jacques' father - Auguste Piccard, who already had experience in creating bathyscaphes.
Trieste made its first dive in 1953 in the Mediterranean Sea, where it reached a record depth of 3,150 m. In total, the bathyscaphe made several dives between 1953 and 1957. and the experience of its operation has shown that it can dive to more serious depths.
Trieste was acquired by the United States Navy in 1958 when the United States became interested in exploring the seabed in the Pacific, where some island states passed de facto under its jurisdiction, as the victorious country in the Second World War.
After some modifications, in particular even greater sealing of the outer part of the hull, Trieste began to prepare for diving into the Mariana Trench. Jacques Piccard remained the pilot of the bathyscaphe, since he had the greatest experience in managing Trier in particular and bathyscaphes in general. Don Walsh was chosen as his companion - then a lieutenant of the US Navy, who served on a submarine, and later became a famous scientist and naval specialist.
The project of the first dive to the bottom of the Mariana Trench was codenamed Project "Nekton", although this name did not take root among the people.
The dive began on the morning of January 23, 1960 at 8:23 am local time. Up to a depth of 8 km. the vehicle descended at a speed of 0.9 m / s, and then decelerated to 0.3 m / s. The researchers saw the bottom only at 13:06. Thus, the time of the first dive was almost 5 hours. At the very bottom, the bathyscaphe was only 20 minutes. During this time, the researchers measured the density and temperature of the water (it was + 3.3 ° C), measured the radioactive background, observed an unknown fish, similar to a flounder, and a shrimp that suddenly appeared on the bottom. Also, based on the measured pressure, the immersion depth was calculated, which was 11 521 m, which was later corrected to 10 916 m.
While at the bottom of the Abyss, the Challenger explored and refreshed themselves with chocolate.
After that, the bathyscaphe was freed from ballast and the ascent began, which took less time - 3.5 hours.
Underwater vehicle "Kaiko"
Kaiko (Kaikō) - the second of the four vehicles that reached the bottom of the Mariana Trench. But he went there twice. This uninhabited telecontrolled underwater vehicle was created by the Japan Agency for Marine Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) and was intended to study the deep seabed. The device was equipped with three video cameras, as well as two manipulator arms, remotely controlled from the surface.
He has completed over 250 dives and made an enormous contribution to science, but his very own famous journey he made in 1995, plunging to a depth of 10,911 m. in the Challenger Abyss. It took place on March 24, and samples of benthic extremophile organisms were delivered to the surface - the so-called animals that can survive in the most extreme environmental conditions.
Kaiko returned to the Challenger Abyss again a year later, in February 1996, and took samples of soil and microorganisms from the bottom of the Mariana Trench.
Unfortunately, Kaiko was lost in 2003 after the rope connecting him to the carrier vessel was broken.
Deep-sea vehicle "Nereus"
Unmanned telecontrolled deep-sea vehicle « Nereus"(Eng. Nereus) closes the three devices that reached the bottom of the Mariana Trench. His dive took place in May 2009. Nereus reached a depth of 10,902 m. He was sent to the site of the very first expedition to the bottom of the Challenger Abyss. He stayed at the bottom for 10 hours, broadcasting video to the carrier ship in live from his cameras, after which he collected water and soil samples and successfully returned to the surface.
The device was lost in 2014 during a dive into the Kermadec Trench at a depth of 9,900 m.
Deepsea challenger
The last dive to the bottom of the Mariana Trench was made by the famous Canadian director James Cameron, having inscribed himself not only in the history of cinema, but also in the history of great research. It happened on March 26, 2012 in a single bathyscaphe Deepsea challenger built under the supervision of Australian engineer Ron Allun in collaboration with National Geographic and Rolex. The main objective of this dive was to collect documentary evidence of life at such extreme depths. From the soil samples taken, 68 new species of animals were discovered. The director himself said that the only animal that he saw at the bottom was an amphipod - an amphipod, similar to a small shrimp about 3 cm in length. The footage formed the basis of a documentary about his immersion in the Challenger Abyss.
James Cameron became the third person on Earth to visit the bottom of the Mariana Trench. He set a diving speed record - his bathyscaphe reached a depth of 11 km. in less than two hours and was also the first person to reach this depth on a solo dive. He spent 6 hours at the bottom, which is also a record. Bathyscaphe Trieste was at the bottom for only 20 minutes.
Animal world
The first expedition of Trieste told with great surprise that there is life at the bottom of the Mariana Trench. Although it was previously believed that the existence of life in such conditions is simply not possible. According to Jacques Piccard, they saw at the bottom a fish resembling an ordinary flounder, about 30 cm long, as well as amphipods. Many marine biologists are skeptical that the Trier crew actually saw the fish, but they do not so much question the words of the researchers as they are inclined to believe that they mistook the sea cucumber or other invertebrate for the fish.
During the second expedition, the Kaiko apparatus took soil samples and indeed there were many tiny organisms in it that could survive in absolute darkness at temperatures close to 0 ° C and under monstrous pressure. There was not a single skeptic left who questioned the existence of life everywhere in the ocean, even in the most incredible conditions. The truth remained unclear how much such deep-sea life was developed. Or are the only representatives of the Mariana Trench - the simplest microorganisms, crustaceans and invertebrates?
In December 2014, a new species of sea slugs was discovered - a family of deep sea fish. Cameras recorded them at a depth of 8,145 m, which was at that time an absolute record for fish.
In the same year, cameras recorded several more species of huge crustaceans, differing from their shallow-water congeners by deep-sea gigantism, which is generally inherent in many deep-sea species.
In May 2017, scientists announced the discovery of another new species of sea slugs, which were found at a depth of 8,178 m.
All deep-sea inhabitants of the Mariana Trench are almost blind, slow and unpretentious animals that can survive in the most extreme conditions. Popular stories about the sea, megalodon and other huge animals inhabiting the Challenger Abyss are nothing more than fables. The Mariana Trench is fraught with many secrets and mysteries, and new species of animals are no less interesting to scientists than relic animals known since the Paleozoic era. Having been at this depth for millions of years, evolution has made them completely different from shallow-water species.
Current research and future diving
The Mariana Trench continues to attract the attention of scientists around the world, despite the high cost of research and their weak practical application. Ichthyologists are interested in new species of animals and their adaptive abilities. Geologists are interested in this region from the point of view of processes occurring in lithospheric plates and the formation of underwater mountain ranges. Ordinary explorers simply dream of being at the bottom of the deepest trench on our planet.
Several expeditions to the Mariana Trench are currently being planned:
1. American company Triton submarines designs and manufactures private submarine bathyscaphes. The most new model Triton 36000/3, consisting of a crew of 3, is planned to be sent to the Challenger Abyss soon. Its characteristics allow it to reach a depth of 11 km. in just 2 hours.
2. Company Virgin Oceanic(Virgin Oceanic), which specializes in private shallow diving, is developing a single-seater deep diving vehicle that can take a passenger to the bottom of a trough in 2.5 hours.
3. American company DOER Marine working on a project " Deep search"- one or two-seater bathyscaphe.
4.In 2017, the famous Russian traveler Fedor Konyukhov announced that he plans to reach the bottom of the Mariana Trench.
1. In 2009 was created Mariana Islands Marine National Monument... It does not include the islands themselves, but covers only their maritime territory, with an area of more than 245 thousand km². Almost the entire Mariana Trench was included in the monument, although its very deep point The Abyss of the Challenger did not fall into it.
2. At the bottom of the Mariana Trench, a water column exerts a pressure of 1,086 bar. This is a thousand times the standard atmospheric pressure.
3. Water is very poorly compressed and at the bottom of the gutter its density increases by only 5%. This means that 100 liters of ordinary water at a depth of 11 km. will take up a volume of 95 liters.
4. Although the Mariana Trench is considered the deepest point on the planet, it is not the closest point to the center of the Earth. Our planet is not an ideal spherical shape, and its radius is about 25 km. less at the poles than at the equator. Therefore, the deepest point at the bottom of the Arctic Ocean is 13 km. closer to the center of the Earth than the Challenger Abyss.
5. The Mariana Trench (and other deep-sea trenches) have been proposed to be used as cemeteries for nuclear waste. It is assumed that the movement of the plates will "push" the waste under the tectonic plate deep into the Earth. The proposal is not without logic, but the dumping of nuclear waste is prohibited by international law. In addition, the zones of joints of lithospheric plates give rise to earthquakes of enormous force, the consequences of which are unpredictable for buried waste.
It would seem that by the twenty-first century, mankind knows everything about our planet and there are no blank spots on the maps. But do not forget that about 90% of the ocean floor is still covered not only by the water column, but also by 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 to be akin to suicide.
Harsh conditions
The Mariana Trench is a tectonic underwater fault and has a V-shaped silhouette, with steep slopes and a flat bottom about 5 km wide. At a depth, there are also peculiar seamounts about two kilometers high. The deepest point on 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 the normal atmospheric pressure of the Earth. Just imagine, there is a whole ton of weight per square centimeter of surface. Titanium alloys can barely withstand such loads. If a man were 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 with a plus sign. All thanks to oceanic hydrothermal vents "black smokers", which are closer to the surface of the ocean, throw down 450 degree jets.
The colossal pressure does not allow the water to boil and the environment is only slightly warmed up. And the one-of-a-kind deep-sea "White Smokers" - produce liquid carbon dioxide in the Mariana Trench, plunging everything around in a white fog. Such hydrothermal springs enrich the aquatic environment with chemical trace elements 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, with incredible pressure, lack of sunlight and zero temperatures, life is in full swing. The bottom is inhabited by various types of bacteria and protozoa, sea cucumbers and amphipods, shells of mollusks and glowing octopuses, bizarre starfish, blind giant worms and flat fish with periscopic eyes.
New species of scorpions and anglers have been discovered. A feature of these frightening outwardly fish is the presence of bioluminescent luminous processes that hang down like a fishing rod. Seeing a light in the pitch darkness, the prey swims into the light and find themselves 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 releases may help in the development of a cure for Alzheimer's disease.
Most of all, the public was shocked by the huge amoeba-xenophyophores. Their size in the Mariana Trench reaches 10 cm, while all the previously known species of protozoa can hardly be seen through a microscope. A unique feature of xenophiophores is that they are resistant to such powerful and destructive substances as mercury, uranium, lead.
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 a device into the abyss to study ocean depths, faced difficulties. At some point, the sensors recorded an eerie noise and grinding. I had to urgently remove the apparatus 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 off, as if someone wanted to bite it.
A similar incident happened with a group of German scientists, when a huge lizard attacked the "Highfish" probe, which was lowered into the water, according to the team. It was possible to get rid of it only by frightening with an electric charge.
There is no convincing evidence that giant prehistoric animals are found in the Mariana Trench today. However, the opposite has not been proven either.
In the 20s of the last century, fishermen from Australia said that they saw in these parts a huge white shark about 30 m long. Whereas the individuals of this species known to science do not exceed five meters. The description of the Australians completely agreed 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. It is generally accepted that the Megalodons became extinct about 2 million years ago. But just recently in the day The Pacific in the area of the Mariana Trench, a tooth of this monster was discovered. 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 explorers 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, the research was carried out with the help of technologies that are improving every year. Various equipment with sensors and probes with video and cameras were immersed at the bottom of the Mariana Trench.
The first to study the ocean abyss were the researchers from the Challenger ship. The deepest point on the planet in the Mariana Trench, the Challenger Abyss, was named after this vessel.
The first to personally visit the depth of eleven thousand meters were the Swiss oceanographer Jacques Piccard and the American military Don Walsh. In 1960, they sank into the Mariana Trench in a deep-sea vessel. They were separated from the kilometers of frightening obscurity by only 127 mm. armored steel.
Only our contemporary, the famous director James Cameron, the creator of the films "Titanic" and "Avatar", dared to repeat their feat. In 2012, he made this dive alone in the DeepSea Challenge bathyscaphe. Taking samples of soil and water from the bottom of the Mariana Trench, Cameron helped scientists make many important discoveries. However, a silent silence appeared to his gaze. He did not meet any monsters or strange phenomena in the abyss. James compares his adventure to a flight into space - "complete isolation from all of humanity."
What do we know about the deepest place in the World Ocean? This is the Mariana Trench or the Mariana Trench.
What is its depth? This is not an easy question ...
But definitely not 14 kilometers!
In the section, the Mariana Trench has a characteristic V-shaped profile with very steep slopes. The bottom is flat, several tens of kilometers wide, divided by ridges into several almost closed sections. The pressure at the bottom of the Mariana Trench is more than 1,100 times higher than normal atmospheric pressure, reaching 3,150 kg / cm2. Temperatures at the bottom of the Mariana Trench (Mariana Trench) are surprisingly high thanks to the hydrothermal vents dubbed "black smokers". They constantly heat the water and keep the overall temperature in the trough at about 3 ° C.
The first attempt to measure the depth of the Mariana Trench (Mariana Trench) was made in 1875 by the crew of the British oceanographic vessel "Challenger" during a scientific expedition to the World Ocean. The British discovered the Mariana Trench quite by accident, during a stand-by sounding of the bottom with a lot (Italian hemp rope and lead weight). For all the inaccuracy of such a measurement, the result was amazing: 8367 m. In 1877, a map was published in Germany, on which this place was marked as the Challenger Abyss.
The measurement, made in 1899 from the board of the American coal miner "Nero", already showed a great depth: 9636 m.
In 1951, the bottom of the depression was measured by the British survey vessel “Challenger”, named after its predecessor, informally called “Challenger II”. Now, with the help of the echo sounder, a depth of 10899 m was recorded.
The maximum depth indicator was obtained in 1957 by the Soviet research vessel Vityaz: 11,034 ± 50 m. It is strange that no one remembered the anniversary date of the generally epoch-making discovery of Russian oceanologists. However, they say that when taking readings, the change in environmental conditions at different depths was not taken into account. This erroneous figure is still present on many physical and geographical maps published in the USSR and Russia.
In 1959, the American research vessel "Stranger" measured the depth of the trough in a rather unusual way for science - using depth charges. Result: 10915 m.
The last known measurements were made in 2010 by the American vessel Sumner, they showed a depth of 10994 ± 40 m.
It has not yet been possible to obtain absolutely accurate readings even with the most modern equipment. The operation of the echo sounder is hampered by the fact that the speed of sound in water depends on its properties, which manifest themselves differently depending on the depth.
This is how the most durable hulls of underwater vehicles look after tests at extreme pressure. Photo: Sergey Ptichkin / RG
And now it is reported that Russia has developed an autonomous unmanned underwater vehicle (AUV) capable of operating at a depth of 14 kilometers. Hence, it is concluded that our military oceanographers have found a depression in the World Ocean deeper than the Mariana.
The message that the apparatus was created and passed its test compression at a pressure corresponding to a depth of 14,000 meters was made during an ordinary press trip of journalists to one of the leading scientific centers engaged in, including deep-sea vehicles. It’s even strange that no one paid attention to this sensation and has not yet voiced it. And the developers themselves did not particularly become frank. Or maybe they just reinsure themselves and want to get reinforced concrete evidence? And now we have every reason to expect a new scientific sensation.
The decision was made to create an uninhabited deep-sea vehicle capable of withstanding pressure, which is much higher than that existing in the Mariana Trench. The device is ready for use. If the depth is confirmed, it will become a super sensation. If not, the device will work to the maximum in the same Mariana Trench, study it up and down. In addition, the developers claim that with a not very complicated revision, the AUV can be made habitable. And it will be comparable to manned deep space missions.
The existence of the Mariana Trench has been known for quite some time, and there are technical possibilities for descending to the bottom, but over the past 60 years, only three people have been able to do this: a scientist, a military man and a film director.
For the entire time of the study of the Mariana Trench (Mariana Trench), devices with people on board dropped to its bottom twice and automatic devices four times (as of April 2017). By the way, less than people have visited the moon.
On January 23, 1960, the Trieste bathyscaphe sank to the bottom of the Mariana Trench (Mariana Trench). On board were the Swiss oceanographer Jacques Picard (1922-2008) and the US Navy lieutenant, explorer Don Walsh (born 1931). The bathyscaphe was designed by the father of Jacques Picard, a physicist, inventor of the stratospheric balloon and bathyscaphe Auguste Piccard (1884-1962).
The black-and-white photograph half a century ago shows the legendary bathyscaphe "Trieste" at the time of preparation for the dive. The crew of two was in a spherical steel nacelle. It was attached to a float filled with gasoline to provide positive buoyancy.
The descent of "Trieste" lasted 4 hours 48 minutes, the crew periodically interrupted it. At a depth of 9 km, plexiglass glass cracked, but the descent continued until the Trieste sank to the bottom, where the crew spotted a 30-centimeter flat fish and some crustacean creature. Having spent about 20 minutes at a depth of 10,912 m, the crew began the ascent, which took 3 hours 15 minutes.
Man made another attempt to descend to the bottom of the Mariana Trench (Mariana Trench) in 2012, when American filmmaker James Cameron (born 1954) became the third to reach the bottom of the Challenger Abyss. Previously, he repeatedly dived on Russian Mir spacecraft in Atlantic Ocean to a depth of over 4 km during the filming of the movie "Titanic". Now, on the Dipsy Challenger bathyscaphe, he sank into the abyss in 2 hours 37 minutes - almost a widow faster than the "Trieste" - and spent 2 hours 36 minutes at a depth of 10898 m. Then he rose to the surface in just an hour and a half. At the bottom, Cameron saw only creatures that looked like shrimps.
The fauna and flora of the Mariana Trench are poorly studied.
In the 1950s. Soviet scientists during the expedition of the ship "Vityaz" discovered life at depths of more than 7 thousand meters. Before that it was believed that there was nothing living there. Pogonophores were discovered - a new family of marine invertebrates living in chitinous tubes. Disputes about their scientific classification are still ongoing.
The main inhabitants of the Mariana Trench (Mariana Trench), living at the very bottom, are barophilic (developing only at high pressure) bacteria, the simplest creatures of the foraminifera - unicellular in shells and xenophyophores - amoebas, reaching 20 cm in diameter and living by shoveling silt.
Foraminifera managed to get the Japanese automatic deep-sea probe "Kaiko" in 1995, which sank to 10911.4 m and took soil samples.
Larger inhabitants of the trench live throughout its entire thickness. Deep life made them either blind or with highly developed eyes, often telescopic. Many have photophores - organs of luminescence, a kind of bait for prey: some have long processes, like an angler fish, while others have it right in the mouth. Some accumulate a luminous liquid and, in case of danger, douse the enemy with it in the manner of a "light curtain".
Since 2009, the territory of the depression has been part of the American Conservation Area Marine National Monument Mariana Trench with an area of 246,608 km2. The zone includes only the underwater part of the trough and the water area. The reason for this action was the fact that the Northern Mariana Islands and the island of Guam - in fact, American territory - are the island boundaries of the water area. The Challenger Abyss is not included in this zone, as it is located in ocean territory. Federated States Micronesia.
sources
As a child, we all read many legends about incredible sea monsters ah, inhabiting the ocean floor, always knowing that these are just fairy tales. But we were wrong! These incredible creatures can be found even today, if you dive to the bottom of the Mariana Trench, the deepest place on Earth. What hides the Mariana Trench and who its mysterious inhabitants are - read in our article.
The deepest place on the planet - the Mariana Trench or Mariana Trench- is located in the western part of the Pacific Ocean near Guam, east of the Mariana Islands, from which its name comes. In its shape, the trench resembles a crescent moon about 2550 km long and 69 km wide on average.
According to the latest data, the depth Mariana Trench is 10 994 meters ± 40 meters, which even exceeds the most high point on the planet - Everest (8 848 meters). So this mountain could well be placed on the bottom of the depression, moreover, about 2,000 meters of water would still remain above the top of the mountain. The pressure at the bottom of the Mariana Trench reaches 108.6 MPa, which is more than 1,100 times the normal atmospheric pressure.
Man only sank to the bottom twice Mariana Trench... The first dive was made on 23 January 1960 by US Navy Lieutenant Don Walsh and explorer Jacques Picard in the Trieste submersible. They stayed at the bottom for only 12 minutes, but even during this time they managed to meet flat fish, although, according to all possible assumptions, life at such a depth should have been absent.
The second human dive took place on March 26, 2012. The third person to touch the mysteries Mariana Trench, became a film director James Cameron... He dived in a single-seat Deepsea Challenger and spent enough time there to sample, capture images and 3D video. Later, the footage he shot formed the basis of a documentary for the National Geographic Channel.
Due to the strong pressure, the bottom of the depression is not covered with ordinary sand, but viscous mucus. Over the years, the remains of plankton and crushed shells accumulated there, which formed the bottom. And again, due to the pressure, almost everything is at the bottom Mariana Trench turns into fine grayish-yellow thick mud.
Sunlight has never hit the bottom of the depression, and we expect the water to be icy there. But its temperature ranges from 1 to 4 degrees Celsius. V Mariana Trench at a depth of about 1.6 km are the so-called "black smokers", hydrothermal vents that shoot water up to 450 degrees Celsius.
Thanks to this water in Mariana Trench life is maintained as it is rich in minerals. By the way, despite the fact that the temperature is much higher than the boiling point, the water does not boil due to the very strong pressure.
The Daikoku volcano is located at a depth of about 414 meters, which is the source of one of the rarest phenomena on the planet - lakes of pure molten sulfur. In the solar system, this phenomenon can only be found on Io, the moon of Jupiter. So, in this "cauldron" the seething black emulsion boils at 187 degrees Celsius. So far, scientists have not been able to study it in detail, but if in the future they can advance in their research, they may be able to explain how life appeared on Earth.
But the most interesting thing about Mariana Trench Are its inhabitants. After it was established that there was life in the trench, many expected to find incredible sea monsters there. For the first time, the expedition of the research vessel "Glomar Challenger" encountered something unidentified. They lowered into the depression a device, the so-called "hedgehog" with a diameter of about 9 m, made in the NASA laboratory from beams of ultra-strong titanium-cobalt steel.
Some time after the start of the descent of the apparatus, the device registering sounds began to transmit to the surface some kind of metallic grinding, reminiscent of the grinding of saw teeth on metal. And on the monitors, vague shadows appeared, reminiscent of dragons with multiple heads and tails. Soon, scientists were worried that the valuable apparatus could forever remain in the depths of the Mariana Trench and decided to lift it aboard the ship. But when they pulled the hedgehog out of the water, their surprise only intensified: the strongest steel beams of the structure were deformed, and the 20-centimeter steel cable, on which it was lowered into the water, was half-sawn.
However, perhaps this story was too embellished by the newspaper people, since later researchers found very unusual creatures there, but not dragons.
Xenophyophores - giant, 10-centimeter amoebas that live at the very bottom Mariana Trench... Most likely, due to strong pressure, lack of light and relatively low temperatures, these amoebas have acquired enormous sizes for their species. But in addition to the impressive size, these creatures are also resistant to many chemical elements and substances, including uranium, mercury and lead, which are deadly to other living organisms.
Pressure in M arian trench turns glass and wood into powder, so only creatures without bones or shell can live here. But in 2012, scientists discovered a mollusc. How he preserved his shell is still not known. In addition, hydrothermal vents emit hydrogen sulfide, which is fatal to shellfish. However, they learned to bind the sulfur compound into a safe protein, which allowed the population of these mollusks to survive.
And that's not all. Below you can see some of the inhabitants Mariana Trench, which scientists managed to capture.
Mariana Trench and its inhabitants
While our eyes are directed to the sky to the unsolved mysteries of space, our planet remains unsolved mystery- Ocean. To date, only 5% of the world's oceans have been explored and secrets Mariana Trench this is just a small part of the secrets that are hidden under the water column.
Near east coast The Philippine Islands is an underwater canyon. It is so deep that you can place Mount Everest in it, and you still have about three kilometers left. Impenetrable darkness reigns there and an incredible force of pressure acts, so you can easily imagine the Mariana Trench as one of the most unfriendly places in the world. However, despite all this, life still somehow continues to exist there - and not just barely survive, but actually flourish, thanks to which a full-fledged ecosystem has appeared there.
Life at such a depth is extremely difficult - eternal cold, impenetrable darkness and tremendous pressure will not allow you to exist in peace. Some creatures, such as the angler, create their own light to attract prey or mates. Others, such as the hammerhead fish, have evolved huge eyes to capture as much light as possible, reaching incredible depths. Other creatures simply try to hide from everyone, and in order to achieve this, they become translucent or red (red absorbs all blue light that manages to break through to the bottom of the cavity).
Cold protection
It is also worth noting that all creatures living at the bottom of the Mariana Trench need to cope with the cold and pressure. Protection from the cold is provided by fats, which form the cell membrane of the creature's body. If this process is not monitored, the membranes can crack and no longer protect the body. To combat this, these creatures have acquired an impressive supply of unsaturated fats in their membranes. With the help of these fats, the membranes always remain in a liquid state and do not crack. But is this enough to survive one of the deepest places on the planet?
What is the Mariana Trench?
The Mariana Trench is shaped like a horseshoe, and its length is 2,550 kilometers. It is located in the east of the Pacific Ocean and is about 69 kilometers wide. The deepest point of the depression was discovered near the southern end of the canyon in 1875 - the depth there was 8184 meters. A lot of time has passed since then, and with the help of the echo sounder, more accurate data were obtained: it turns out that the deepest point is even deeper, 10994 meters. It was named "Challenger Depth" in honor of the vessel that made that very first measurement.
Human immersion
However, about 100 years have passed since that moment - and only then for the first time a man plunged to such a depth. In 1960, Jacques Piccard and Don Walsh went to the Trieste bathyscaphe to conquer the depths of the Mariana Trench. Trieste used gasoline as fuel and iron structures as ballast. It took the bathyscaphe 4 hours and 47 minutes to reach a depth of 10,916 meters. It was then that the fact that life still exists at such a depth was first confirmed. Picard said that he saw a "flat fish" then, although in fact it turned out that he only noticed a sea cucumber.
Who lives at the bottom of the ocean?
However, not only sea cucumbers are found at the bottom of the depression. Together with them, there are large single-celled organisms known as foraminifera - they are giant amoebas that can grow up to 10 centimeters in length. Under normal conditions, these organisms create shells of calcium carbonate, but at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, where the pressure is a thousand times greater than at the surface, calcium carbonate dissolves. This means that these organisms have to use proteins, organic polymers and sand to create shells. Shrimp and other crustaceans known as amphipods also live at the bottom of the Mariana Trench. The largest of the amphipods are similar to giant albino woodlice - they can be found in the depths of Challenger.
Meals at the bottom
Considering that sunlight does not reach the bottom of the Mariana Trench, another question arises: what do these organisms feed on? The bacteria manage to survive at this depth due to the fact that they feed on the methane and sulfur that emerge from crust and some organisms feed on these bacteria. But many rely on what is called "sea snow" - tiny pieces of detritus that reach the bottom from the surface. One of the most striking examples and richest food sources is the carcasses of dead whales, which end up on the ocean floor.
Fish in the hollow
But what about fish? The deepest fish in the Mariana Trench was discovered only in 2014 at a depth of 8143 meters. An unknown ghostly white subspecies of Liparids with wide pterygoid fins and an eel-like tail was recorded several times by cameras that plunged into the depths of the depression. However, scientists believe that this depth is most likely the limit of where the fish can survive. This means that there can be no fish at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, since the conditions there do not correspond to the structure of the body of vertebrates.
