Team Factend
The Mariana Trench is the deepest known location on Earth. It was first discovered in 1875 by Lieutenant J. H. Walsh of the U.S. Navy, who accidentally drifted past its edge while exploring the Pacific Ocean west of Hawaii.
Since then, explorers have descended into this mysterious part of the world in submarines to explore its many wonders—including one that’s almost seven miles deep!
In this article, we will cover the 10 facts about Mariana Trench.
10 Facts About the Mariana Trench
Fact #1: The Mariana Trench is the deepest part of the world’s oceans.
The Mariana Trench is located in the western Pacific Ocean, and it’s named after the ship that discovered it.
The Mariana Trench is 12,200 feet deep. That may not sound like much when compared to other places on Earth like Mount Everest and Mt. McKinley (the tallest mountain in North America), but if you consider that water only weighs about 1 pound per cubic foot—and because there are so many cubic feet of water involved here—it’s actually pretty impressive!
Fact #2: The trench is located in the western Pacific Ocean.
The trench is located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of the deepest parts of our planet’s oceans and a place where no humans have ever ventured before.
The Mariana Trench is located on the western side of the Marianas Trench, which itself is situated between Guam and Tinian in Micronesia.[1] It was first discovered by British surveyor John Franklin in 1822.
Fact #3: A U.S. Navy Lieutenant accidentally discovered the trench in 1875.
The discovery of the Mariana Trench is a fascinating story and one that’s often overlooked in school textbooks.
In 1875, Lieutenant Commander George W. DeLong led a crew on the USS Jeannette to explore the Arctic Ocean. When they reached their destination, they were trapped by ice and drifted for nearly two years until they were crushed by ice floes and sank beneath the waves of Alaska’s Bering Sea.
The men on board weren’t alone: They had with them two dogs named Seaman and Pilot (who became known as Seaman II). While there were no animals aboard at first—they all perished due to exposure—the two dogs survived because they were fed canned food from the ship’s provisions stores throughout their ordeal before being rescued by whalers who spotted them drifting in open water near Cape Prince of Wales.
Fact #4: Temperature-like inside Mariana Trench
The temperature of the Mariana Trench is extremely cold. Temperatures at these depths range from -2°C (28°F) to -7°C (19°F). This is because there’s less atmosphere above these depths than normal, which creates a vacuum effect that traps warm air from escaping into space. The pressure also makes it tough for any heat to escape from below; if you were standing on top of this trench and felt how much force your body was pushing against, you would be able to imagine how difficult it would be for heat or even water vapor to leave your body!
The temperature changes with depth because colder water takes up more space than warmer water does (the molecules move slower). So if you’re diving deeper into the ocean like I did last summer when investigating my dissertation topic at Ocean Observatories Initiative (OIO), expect colder temperatures than usual—and possibly even snow!
Fact #5: Fascinations made by a Hollywood director
- James Cameron, the director of the movie Titanic, made a deep-sea dive to explore the Mariana Trench in March 2012.
- He used a submersible called the Deepsea Challenger to reach the bottom of this trench.
Fact#6: It was named after a British ship
A British survey ship named HMS Challenger II first explored the trench in 1951.
In 1951, HMS Challenger II was a British survey ship that explored the Mariana Trench. This was the first time anyone had surveyed this deep ocean trench and its depths were thought to be inaccessible at that time.
So the Mariana Trench is named after the British ship HMS Challenger II. It was the first time a ship was used to explore this area of the ocean, and its name has since become synonymous with exploration and discovery.
The Challenger II was not a military vessel but more of a research vessel than anything else; it wasn’t armed or armored in any way except for two small guns on its sides that would have been unable to do much damage even if fired upon by enemy ships or submarines during combat situations (they weren’t even needed).
Fact #7: The Mariana Trench is the deepest known location on Earth.
The Mariana Trench is the deepest known location on Earth. The trench is also known as Mt. Makura-Ōyake, which means “mountain in the sea,” and is located in the northwestern Pacific Ocean at a depth of 11km (6mi), below which lies Challenger Deep.
The deepest part of any ocean has existed for millions of years, but due to its extreme pressure, it took scientists several decades to find out about this location’s existence before they could confirm it with modern technology such as sonar scanning or submersible robots diving down into its depths.
Fact #8: The deepest point within the Mariana Trench
The deepest point within the Mariana Trench is called Challenger Deep. It takes about 90 minutes for a submersible to reach this depth underwater!
It is so deep that it could fit Mount Everest inside with more than one mile of water left above it! That’s more than 16 times as deep as Mount Everest!
It would take 11 Empire State Buildings stacked on top of each other to make it from the surface of the ocean to Challenger Deep’s beginning!
Fact #9: In 1960, a U.S. Navy vessel officially mapped the trench with sonar technology.
The Mariana Trench is a deep ocean trench located near Japan. It is the deepest place on Earth, with an average depth of 10,994 feet (3,295 m).
In 1960, a U.S. Navy vessel officially mapped the trench with sonar technology and discovered many new species of fish in addition to other organisms that live there, such as corals and clams.
Fact #10: First humans to descend into the Trench
Jacques Piccard and Don Walsh were the first humans to reach the Mariana Trench in 1960, becoming part of history as they descended nearly seven miles below sea level in a submersible called Trieste.
The two explorers had been planning this trip for years and decided to take advantage of an opportunity when their ship was delayed by heavy seas on its way back from Guam.
They used a submarine called Trieste (meaning “Three Seas”) which was named after the city where it was built – Trieste, Italy.
They reached 8,400 feet below sea level—the deepest point on Earth at that time—and were able to collect samples of mud from within it.
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Conclusion: Mariana Trench Facts
In conclusion, exploring these facts about the Mariana Trench reveals the remarkable mysteries of the Earth’s deepest oceanic abyss. From its extreme depths to its unique ecosystems, the Mariana Trench continues to captivate scientists and ocean enthusiasts alike. This trench, with its unparalleled conditions and undiscovered secrets, represents one of the final frontiers of our planet.
We hope these insights have deepened your appreciation for this profound and enigmatic part of our world. As exploration advances, the Mariana Trench will undoubtedly continue to reveal astonishing discoveries and enhance our understanding of the Earth’s most extreme environments.
