What hides the Mariana Trench. Mariana Trench

The world's oceans occupy 70% of the entire planet, and a person who boasts of his invented title of "king of beasts" managed to learn only 5% of his secrets. We can say that we just went into the water up to the ankles, but what awaits us there, at great depths? The Mariana Trench has long attracted scientists from all over the world. Several dives into these gloomy, as if otherworldly depths have already given a person so many mysteries that they will have to be solved for centuries.

One of the first human attempts to solve the mystery of the Mariana Trench was made in 1960. The bathyscaphe Trieste, created in the laboratories of NASA, plunged to a depth of 10,915 meters. Scientists aboard the research vessel Glomar Challenger began to receive strange audio information: it seemed that someone was sawing metal. The camera also recorded unusual shadows that accumulated around the bathyscaphe. For eight whole hours, the Trieste rose to the surface, and when examining the skin, three of the four chambers were broken, and the lifting cables were cut in half. Who could have done this is still unclear.

Findings in Hell's Depths

Scientists today are not able to identify creatures found at the very bottom Mariana Trench. The Nereus automatic probe brought out a lot of photos and videos from the dive, which depicted strange, sometimes really frightening creatures. One and a half meter worms without a mouth, octopuses that look like mutated tentacles from Japanese cartoons, giant starfish - it’s better not to swim in these waters at all.

toxic life

And here is perhaps the most amazing fact about the monsters of the Mariana Trench. In June last year, British researchers published an interesting document, according to which the bodies of deep-sea crustaceans are literally saturated with toxins from the bottom. The level of pollution was much higher than that shown by creatures living in the coastal waters of the ocean, where waste from factories is usually thrown. Moreover, some crustaceans even emitted radioactive radiation. But where does the radiation come from, where a person can barely reach with his fingertips?

Collision with the abyss

A German research bathyscaphe with three scientists on board had already submerged 7 kilometers when unusual, never-before-seen creatures appeared around it. Subsequently, oceanologists described them only as “dragons”. They clung to the skin of the "Highfish" and only a strong discharge of energy, launched by frightened people along a special arc (it encircled the entire bathyscaphe), forced them to get out.

house of megalodon

Previously, scientists assumed that the giant prehistoric shark megalodon disappeared from the oceans several million years ago. But in 1997, a group of Japanese scientists working on the secrets of the Mariana Trench managed to raise a frightening video to the surface. A huge, a couple of tens of meters long shark appeared at the feeder, to which deep-sea goblin sharks were lured. So this is where the last megalodons are left!

10 Curious Things You Can Find in the Mariana Trench
No one is surprised anymore that we have detailed maps of almost everything in our solar system - the Moon, Mars, even Uranus.

But one place that we know very little is closer to us than any planet or satellite - the ocean floor. Even though it is only a few kilometers away, we have only mapped about five percent of the seabed.

It represents for us big secret than even, for example, Pluto.

Despite the fact that the oceans are closer to us than the outer planets of the solar system, people explored only five percent of the ocean floor, which remains one of the greatest mysteries of our planet.

The deepest part of the ocean Mariana Trench or Mariana Trench is one of the most famous places about which we don't know much.

With water pressure that is a thousand times greater than at sea level, diving into this place is akin to suicide.

But thanks to modern technology and a few brave souls who, risking their lives, went down there, we learned a lot of interesting things about this amazing place.

Mariana Trench on the map. Where is she?

The Mariana Trench or the Mariana Trench is located in the western part Pacific Ocean to the east (about 200 km) from 15 Mariana Islands near Guam. It is a trough in the shape of a crescent earth's crust about 2550 km long and 69 km wide on average.

Mariana Trench coordinates: 11°22′ north latitude and 142°35′ east longitude.

Depth of the Mariana Trench

According to the latest research in 2011, the depth of the deepest point of the Mariana Trench is about 10,994 meters ± 40 meters. For comparison, the height of high peak world - Everest is 8,848 meters. This means that if Everest were in the Mariana Trench, it would be covered by another 2.1 km of water.

Here are others Interesting Facts about what you can meet along the way and at the very bottom of the Mariana Trench.

Temperature at the bottom of the Mariana Trench

1. Very hot water

Going down to such a depth, we expect that it will be very cold there. The temperature here reaches just above zero, varying 1 to 4 degrees Celsius.

However, at a depth of about 1.6 km from the surface of the Pacific Ocean, there are hydrothermal vents called “black smokers”. They shoot water that heats up to 450 degrees Celsius.

This water is rich in minerals that help support life in the area. Despite the temperature of the water, which is hundreds of degrees above the boiling point, she does not boil here due to incredible pressure, 155 times higher than on the surface.

Inhabitants of the Mariana Trench

2. Giant toxic amoeba

A few years ago, at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, they discovered giant 10-centimeter amoebas, called xenophyophores.

These single-celled organisms probably got so big because of the environment they live in at a depth of 10.6 km. The cold temperature, high pressure, and lack of sunlight most likely contributed to these amoeba got huge.

In addition, xenophyophores have incredible abilities. They are resistant to a variety of elements and chemicals, including uranium, mercury and lead, which would kill other animals and humans.

3. Clams

The strong water pressure in the Mariana Trench does not give any animal with a shell or bones a chance to survive. However, in 2012, shellfish were discovered in a trough near serpentine hydrothermal vents. Serpentine contains hydrogen and methane, which allows living organisms to form.

TO How did mollusks keep their shells under such pressure?, remains unknown.

In addition, hydrothermal vents release another gas, hydrogen sulfide, which is deadly to shellfish. However, they learned to bind the sulfur compound into a safe protein, which allowed the population of these mollusks to survive.

At the bottom of the Mariana Trench

4. Pure liquid carbon dioxide

hydrothermal source Champagne The Mariana Trench, which lies outside the Okinawa Trench near Taiwan, is the only known underwater area where liquid carbon dioxide can be found. The spring, discovered in 2005, got its name from the bubbles that turned out to be carbon dioxide.

Many believe that these springs, called "white smokers" because of the lower temperature, may be the source of life. It was in the depths of the oceans with low temperatures and an abundance of chemicals and energy that life could originate.

The deepest part of our ocean, the Mariana Trench, is better known than the rest of the ocean floor, although we still know almost nothing about it. With a depth of 11 kilometers and with incredible pressure at the very bottom, the cavity is a very destructive place for anyone who dares to go down there and concoct a map.

But thanks to modern technology and a few brave souls who risked their lives to explore the cavity, we still know something about it. So if you're ever in the mood to go down to the Mariana Trench, here's what you can find there.

Incredibly hot water

If you are going to dive 11 kilometers deep, the water will become extremely cold very quickly. At this depth, the water temperature is slightly above zero, from 1 to 4 degrees Celsius. But you will also have to grab clothes for all seasons.

Summer is especially useful - when you get close to hydrothermal springs at a depth of about 1.6 kilometers. In a world where water is one step away from turning to ice, there are several geysers that heat water to around 450 degrees Celsius.

The water from these holes (also known as "black smokers") shoots out tons of minerals that help life thrive in the area. The creatures who have managed to be born in the Mariana Trench are in dire need of these minerals and the energy of geysers, since at such a depth not a single ray of the sun breaks through the water column. They are forced to swim near hot water or die.

Despite the high temperature, this water does not boil. This is due to intense pressure (155 times more than on the surface). With increased pressure, the boiling point rises.

Volcano Daikoku, which is located at a depth of about 414 meters on the way to the Mariana Trench, is the source of one of the rarest phenomena on our planet. Here is lake of pure molten sulfur. The only place where liquid sulfur can be found is Jupiter's moon Io.

In this pit, called the "cauldron", a bubbling black emulsion boils at 187 degrees Celsius. Although scientists have not been able to explore this place in detail, it is possible that even more liquid sulfur is contained deeper. It may reveal the secret of the origin of life on Earth.

According to the Gaia hypothesis, our planet is one self-governing organism in which all living and non-living things are connected to support its life. If this hypothesis is correct, then a number of signals can be observed in the natural cycles and systems of the Earth. So the sulfur compounds created by organisms in the ocean must be stable enough in the water to allow them to pass into the air and back to land again.

7. Bridges

At the end of 2011, in the Mariana Trench, it was discovered four stone bridges, which stretched from one end to the other for 69 km. They appear to have formed at the junction of the Pacific and Philippine tectonic plates.

One of the bridges Dutton Ridge, which was discovered back in the 1980s, turned out to be incredibly high, like a small mountain. At the highest point the ridge reaches 2.5 km over the Challenger Deep.

Like many aspects of the Mariana Trench, the purpose of these bridges remains unclear. However, the very fact that these formations were discovered in one of the most mysterious and unexplored places is amazing.

Giant poisonous amoeba

If you saw a newborn puppy, about 10 centimeters long, your first reaction was very cheerful and probably full of tenderness. But if you see a 10 cm amoeba, you will probably quickly pack your suitcase and drive away, holding back a scream.

In the Mariana Trench, such amoebas are everywhere. They are called xenophyophores. And although they are single-celled, they became large precisely due to the cold temperature, high pressure and lack of sunlight. It was these parameters that caused the nightmarish size of the amoeba.

In addition, these amoebas are immune to many elements and chemicals that would kill most of the species on Earth. Absorbing minerals and particles from water, xenophyophores have developed immunity even to uranium, mercury, lead and many other very harmful substances.

These amoebas were once found at a depth of 10.6 kilometers, but no one would be surprised if one day they are found even deeper.

Pure liquid carbon dioxide

Most of the hydrothermal vents we talked about earlier emit nothing but hot water. But here is one such geyser instead of water releases pure liquid carbon dioxide.

Outside the Okinawa Trough near Taiwan is the Champagne Geyser in the Mariana Trench, the only known underwater area where liquid carbon dioxide exists. Discovered in early 2005, the geyser got its name from bubbles that at first glance seemed harmless. Upon closer inspection, it turned out that these bubbles are CO2.

Although the absorption of pure carbon dioxide would be fatal to many of us, it seems that such geysers - by the way, "white smokers" - due to their low temperature, could be the source of life itself. The old "primordial soup" theory says that life began in deep waters near similar hydrothermal vents. Champagne provides an abundance of chemicals, energy and all at low temperatures - the perfect recipe for life to form and flourish.

shellfish

The powerful water pressure in the Mariana Trench does not allow anything with a hard shell or bones to survive, so it is full of sea cucumbers and giant amoebas. If you take a turtle there, it will be crushed by its own "house".

However, shell-covered animals such as mollusks have recently been discovered in the Hollow. They were found in 2012 mainly near serpentine hydrothermal vents. The serpentine stone is rich in minerals essential for life, hydrogen and methane, allowing life to thrive around it. No one yet knows how the clams grew their shells under such pressure, and they don't talk either.

However, these springs also emit another gas, hydrogen sulfide, which under normal conditions is deadly to molluscs. Fortunately for them, they have developed the ability to bind sulfides into harmless proteins, thereby reducing their toxicity to zero.

James Cameron

Yes, who directed Titanic. One of the most famous directors in the world is a fan of ocean life and has even equipped his own expedition to the bottom of the Mariana Trench.

Since its discovery in 1875, the deepest part of the Trench, known as the Challenger Deep, has hosted as many as three people (compare twelve people on the Moon). The first two, Don Walsh and Jacques Piccard, made it to the bottom on January 23, 1960. Since their vessel was called the Challenger, the conquered depth was also designated accordingly. Where the "Deep" part came from, no one knows.

More than 52 years passed before another explorer ventured into the cold waters, although he was a simple director. On March 26, 2012, Cameron descended to the bottom of the trench and took some photographs, the first shots of the Challenger Deep.

What does the earth look like underwater? Most likely, on a pile of wet sand. But if you go deeper and deeper, the earth will change much and much. The fact is that everything in the Mariana Trench drains to the very bottom, forming a blanket of unsightly viscous silt.

Sand as we know it is not really there. In its place, ahem, there is only death. More precisely, her traces. The bottom of the Hollow consists of crushed shells and plankton corpses that have been sinking to the bottom over the years. Due to the enormous pressure of the water, everything eventually turns into a greyish-yellow, almost silky silt. Considering the time of the Basin's existence (many scientists believe that this is the oldest place in the ocean), one can only wonder how deep the muddy bottom sinks before the Earth itself begins.

liquid sulfur

The underwater volcano Daikoku lies about 40 atmospheres (414 meters) down the Basin. Given its depth of 11 kilometers, this is not particularly impressive. But Daikoku contains one of the rarest sights on the planet, a lake of pure molten sulfur. The only analogue of such a lake is on Io, a satellite of Jupiter. But we are unlikely to get there.

Named "The Cauldron" for obvious reasons, this pit bubbling black mixture at 187 degrees Celsius. It has not yet been studied in detail, but white smoke emanating from one of the surrounding craters indicates that there may be more than one "cauldron". But if so, life could well have originated in the Mariana Trench.

According to the Gaia Hypothesis, an old and critiqued world view, the entire planet is a single and self-regulating entity when organic life and inorganic minerals come together to sustain the life of the planet. Of course, this is largely a myth, but scientists believe that sulfur released into the atmosphere goes through a cycle and endows life with valuable minerals. That is, even sulfur could be the reason for maintaining life on Earth.

Bridges

At the end of 2011, four stone bridges were discovered in the Mariana Trench, stretching from one end to the other (about 69 kilometers). Apparently, the bridges were formed by the meeting of the Pacific and Philippine tectonic plates. The Pacific Plate eventually collided with the Philippine Plate, and underwater materials from both sides collided with each other to form what we see today.

One of the bridges, Dutton Ridge, was discovered back in the 1980s but was only filmed in low resolution. However, this also helped to determine that Dutton Ridge is incredibly high, almost like a small mountain. At its highest peak, its ridge reaches a height of 2.5 kilometers above the Challenger Deep. That is, it is located at an 8-kilometer depth.

Like many other aspects of the Hollow, these bridges serve unknown purposes. After all, not many underwater creatures use bridges.

Monument

Unfortunately, so far no one has installed a statue in the Mariana Trench or underwater hotel for tourists. But the Depression itself is a monument, a reserve, protected by the United States.

In January 2009, President George W. Bush signed legislation designating the Mariana Trench as a national monument covering over 246,000 square kilometers. It is the largest marine reserve in the world, even larger than the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument.

Since it is a national monument, there are strict rules for visiting it. Fishing is strictly prohibited, so you will not be able to catch amoebas. Swimming is allowed, but do not swim below the buoys.

Nothing

Of course, we are not going to say that there is nothing at all in the Mariana Trench. That would be stupid given everything we've mentioned so far. Neither the giant amoeba nor the bizarre fish you might encounter on the way down will prepare you for what you'll find below: absolutely nothing.

While James Cameron dived into the Challenger Deep in 2012, he watched everything he wanted before mechanical failure forced him back to the surface. While he was there, he came to a shocking conclusion: apart from the occasional shrimp, his constant companion was loneliness.

In the Mariana Trench there are no terrible sea monsters, miracles of evolution or cruel and beautiful manifestations of nature in all its primitiveness. There was only James and a small metal ball with no one to talk to.

As Cameron himself said, the very bottom of the ocean is "lunar ... empty ... closed ...", and at the bottom of the depression the director felt isolated from all mankind.

Let's hope that future dives in the Challenger Deep will help to uncover many secrets.

Nov 25, 2016 Galinka

Here are other interesting facts about what you can meet along the way and at the very bottom of the Mariana Trench.

Temperature at the bottom of the Mariana Trench

1. Very hot water

Going down to such a depth, we expect that it will be very cold there. The temperature here reaches just above zero, varying 1 to 4 degrees Celsius.

However, at a depth of about 1.6 km from the surface of the Pacific Ocean, there are hydrothermal vents called "black smokers". They shoot water that heats up to 450 degrees Celsius.

Inhabitants of the Mariana Trench

2. Giant toxic amoeba

A few years ago, at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, they discovered giant 10-centimeter amoebas, called xenophyophores.

In addition, xenophyophores have incredible abilities. They are resistant to many elements and chemicals, including uranium, mercury and lead,which would kill other animals and people.

3. Clams

TO How did mollusks keep their shells under such pressure?, remains unknown.

At the bottom of the Mariana Trench

4. Pure liquid carbon dioxide

5. Slime

If we had the opportunity to swim to the very depths of the Mariana Trench, then we would feel that it covered with a layer of viscous mucus. Sand, in its usual form, does not exist there.

The bottom of the depression mainly consists of crushed shells and plankton residues that have accumulated at the bottom of the depression for many years. Due to the incredible pressure of the water, almost everything there turns into fine greyish-yellow thick mud.

Mariana Trench

6. Liquid sulfur

In this pit, called "cauldron", a seething black emulsion boils at 187 degrees Celsius. Although scientists have not been able to explore this place in detail, it is possible that even more liquid sulfur is contained deeper. It may reveal the secret of the origin of life on Earth.

7. Bridges

8James Cameron's dive into the Mariana Trench

Since opening the deepest place in the Mariana Trench - "Challenger Deep" in 1875, only three people were here. The first was an American lieutenant Don Walsh and researcher Jacques Picard who dived on January 23, 1960 on the Trieste.

After 52 years, another person dared to dive here - a famous film director James Cameron. So March 26, 2012 Cameron went down to the bottom and took some photos.

There are 5 oceans on Earth, which occupy a significant part of the land. Having conquered space and made a landing of a man on the moon, sending autonomous spacecraft to the most distant planets of the solar system, people know negligibly little about what is hidden in the depths of the sea on their native planet.

What is the Mariana Trench?

This is the name of the deepest known place in the Pacific Ocean today. It is a trough formed by the convergence of tectonic plates. Max Depth The Mariana Trench is approximately 10,994 meters (data for 2011). There are other trenches in all the other oceans, but not as deep. Only the Java Trench (7729 meters) can be compared with the Mariana Trench.

Location

The deepest place on Earth is located in the western Pacific Ocean, off the Mariana Islands. The gutter stretches along them for one and a half thousand kilometers. The bottom of the depression is flat, its width is from 1 to 5 kilometers. The gutter got its name in honor of the islands next to which it is located.

"Challenger Abyss"

This name has the most deep place(10,994 meters) Mariana Trench. Here it must be clarified that it is not yet possible to obtain the exact dimensions of this gigantic trough of the ocean floor. The speed of sound at different depths is very different, and the Mariana Trench has a very complex structure, so the data obtained using the echo sounder is always slightly different.

Discovery history

People have long known that deep seas exist in the seas and oceans. In 1875, the English corvette Challenger opened one of these points. What depth of the Mariana Trench was recorded then? It was 8367 meters. The measurement instruments at that time were far from ideal, but even this result made a stunning impression - it became clear that the deepest point of the ocean floor on the planet had been found.

Gutter studies

In the 19th century, it was simply impossible to explore the bottom of the Mariana Trench. At that time, there was no technology to descend to such a depth. Without modern means of immersion, this was tantamount to suicide.

A re-examination of the trench took place many years later, in the next century. Measurements made in 1951 showed a depth of 10,863 meters. Then, in 1957, members of the Soviet scientific vessel "Vityaz" were engaged in the study of the depression. According to their measurements, the depth of the Mariana Trench was 11,023 meters.

The last study of the gutter was carried out in 2011.

Cameron's Great Journey

The Canadian director became the third person in the history of research into the Mariana Trench to descend to its bottom. He was the first in the world to do it alone. Prior to its sinking, the trough was explored by Don Walsh and Jacques Picard in 1960 using the Trieste submersible. In addition, Japanese scientists tried to find out what the depth of the Mariana Trench is using the Kaiko probe for this. And in 2009, the Nereus apparatus descended to the bottom of the gutter.

Descent to such an incredible depth is associated with a huge number of risks. First of all, a man is threatened by a monstrous pressure of 1100 atmospheres. It can damage the body of the device, which will lead to the death of the pilot. Another serious danger that awaits when descending to a depth is the cold that reigns there. It can not only lead to equipment failure, but also kill a person. The bathyscaphe can collide with rocks and get damaged.

James Cameron dreamed for many years of visiting the deep point Mariana Trench - "Challenger Abyss". In order to carry out his plan, he equipped his own expedition. Especially for this, an underwater vehicle was designed and built in Sydney - a single-seat bathyscaphe Deepsea Challenger, equipped with scientific equipment, as well as photo and video cameras. In it, Cameron sank to the bottom of the Mariana Trench. This event took place on March 26, 2012.

In addition to photographs and video filming, the Deepsea Challenger bathyscaphe had to take new measurements of the chute and try to give accurate data on its dimensions. Everyone was worried about one question: "How much?" The depth of the Mariana Trench, according to the readings of the apparatus, was 10,908 meters.

The director was impressed by what he saw below. Most of all, the bottom of the depression reminded him of a lifeless lunar landscape. He did not meet the terrible inhabitants of the abyss. The only creature he saw through the porthole of the bathyscaphe was a small shrimp.

After a successful voyage, James Cameron decided to donate his bathyscaphe to the Oceanographic Institute so that it could continue to be used to explore the depths of the sea.

Creepy Dwellers of the Deep

The lower the bottom of the ocean, the less sunlight penetrates through the water column. The depth of the Mariana Trench is the reason that impenetrable darkness always reigns in it. But even the absence of light cannot become an obstacle to the origin of life. Darkness gives birth to beings who have never seen the sun. And they, in turn, have only recently been able to see marine biologists.

The sight is not for the faint of heart. Almost all the inhabitants of the Mariana Trench seem to be born from the imagination of an artist who creates monsters for horror films. Seeing them for the first time, you might think that they do not live next to a person on the same planet, but are alien creatures, they look so alien.

To some extent, this is true - very little is known about the oceans and their inhabitants. The bottom of the Mariana Trench has been explored to date less than the surface of Mars. Therefore, for a long time it was believed that at such a depth, without sunlight, life is impossible. It turned out that this was not the case. The depth of the Mariana Trench, gigantic pressure and cold are not an obstacle to the birth of amazing creatures living in complete darkness.

Most of them have an ugly appearance due to terrible living conditions. The pitch darkness reigning in the depths made the marine inhabitants of these places completely blind. Many fish have huge teeth, such as howliods, which swallow their prey whole.

What can living beings eat so far from the surface of the ocean? At the bottom of the depression, the remains of living organisms accumulate, forming a multi-meter layer of bottom silt. The inhabitants of the depths feed on these deposits. Predatory fish have luminous parts of the body with which they attract small fish.

The gutter is inhabited by bacteria that can develop only at high pressure, unicellular organisms, jellyfish, worms, molluscs, sea cucumbers. The depth of the Mariana Trench gives them the opportunity to reach very large sizes. For example, the amphipods found at the bottom of the gutter are 17 centimeters long.

Amoeba

Xenophyophores (amoebae) are single-celled organisms that can only be seen with a microscope. But at depth, these inhabitants of the Mariana Trench reach giant size- up to 10 centimeters. Previously, they were found at a depth of 7500 meters. An interesting feature of these organisms, in addition to their size, is the ability to accumulate uranium, lead and mercury. Outwardly, deep-sea amoebas look different. Some are disk or tetrahedral shaped. Xenophyophores feed on bottom sediments.

Hirondellea gigas

Amphipods (amphipods) large sizes were found in the Mariana Trench. These deep-sea crayfish feed on dead organic matter that accumulates at the bottom of the depression and have a keen sense of smell. The largest specimen found was 17 centimeters long.

Holothurians

Sea cucumbers are another representatives of organisms that live at the bottom of the Mariana Trench. This class of invertebrates feeds on plankton and bottom sediments.

Conclusion

The Mariana Trench has not yet been properly explored. No one knows what creatures inhabit it and how many secrets it keeps.

All of us in childhood read many legends about incredible sea monsters that inhabit 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 are its mysterious inhabitants - read in our article.

The deepest place on the planet is 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 came. 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 at 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 - more than 1,100 times the normal atmospheric pressure.

A man only twice sank to the bottom Mariana Trench. The first dive was made on January 23, 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 was made on March 26, 2012. The third person who touched the mysteries Mariana Trench, became a filmmaker James Cameron. He dived on the single-seat Deepsea Challenger and spent enough time there to take samples, take pictures and film in 3D. 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 covered not with ordinary sand, but with viscous mucus. For many years, the remains of plankton and crushed shells accumulated there, which formed the bottom. And again, due to pressure, almost everything is at the bottom Mariana Trench turns into fine greyish-yellow thick mud.

Sunlight has never reached the bottom of the depression, and we expect the water there to be icy. But its temperature varies 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 Mariana Trench life is sustained as it is rich in minerals. By the way, despite the fact that the temperature is much higher than the boiling point, water does not boil due to very strong pressure.

Approximately at a depth of 414 meters is the Daikoku volcano, which is the source of one of the rarest phenomena on the planet - a lake of pure molten sulfur. In the solar system, this phenomenon can only be found on Io, a 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 in Mariana Trench are its inhabitants. After it was determined that there was life in the basin, 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 cavity 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 sound-recording device began to transmit some kind of metallic rattle to the surface, reminiscent of the gnashing of saw teeth on metal. And vague shadows appeared on the monitors, resembling dragons with several heads and tails. Soon, scientists became worried that the valuable device could forever remain in the depths of the Mariana Trench and decided to take it aboard the ship. But when they took 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 newspapermen, since later researchers discovered very unusual creatures there, but not dragons.

Xenophyophores - giant, 10-centimeter amoeba that live at the very bottom Mariana Trench. Most likely, due to strong pressure, lack of light and relatively low temperatures, these amoeba acquired huge sizes for their species. But in addition to their 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 shells can live here. But in 2012, scientists discovered a mollusk. How he retained his shell is still not known. In addition, hydrothermal springs emit hydrogen sulfide, which is deadly 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 have been able 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 and secrets have been studied Mariana Trench this is only a small part of the secrets that are hidden under the water column.