Located between Japan and Papua New Guinea, the Mariana Trench is the deepest part of the ocean, residing in the Pacific.
Lets face it, the deeper and creepier something is, the more we want to know about it. Because I’ll never be able to have courage to go anywhere near myself, I decided to look up some facts about it.
Now I’m here telling you things you may not have known!
1. Super Hot Water
I thought it would be extremely cold as you went further down as there is no sun to heat it up, but I was wrong (as I usually am!) In the Pacific Ocean, there are hydrothermal vents called black smokers. These vents heat up the water to about 842 degrees Fahrenheit! (This is probably what they were referring to for “hell”.) Because of this, life is still able to thrive at such depths. The density and pressure make it so that the water doesn’t boil.
2. Living Organisms Actually Live That Deep Down
The density and pressure of this area of the ocean doesn’t allow whales, sharks and other living things to actually live. That’s because it’s a bone crushing pressure. But, near something called a serpentine hydrothermal, shellfish live. The serpentine hydrothermal produces hydrogen sulphide which is generally fatal for them, but they have learned to survive with protein compounds.
3. Mucus Mud
Normal sand doesn’t exist down in the Mariana Trench all thanks to pressure. If we were able to swim down there with nothing on, or just a bathing suit, you’d find out that the bottom consists of crushed shells and thinks that have taken years to sink down there. The pressure turns everything into a mucusy type mud.
4. James Cameron, the Third Diver
James Cameron, director of 1997’s box office hit Titanic, actually dove down into the Trench with top of the line gear. He is one of three people to ever do so. The first was an American Lieutenant; the second was Jacques Piccard and he, James. When he was down there in 2012, he claimed that he was so lonely; he felt “complete isolation from all humanity.” It may sound dramatic, but think about it: that’s 36,000+ feet deep or 7 miles! That’s 1,000 feet higher than commercial airlines fly. There are no fishes swimming by, just pressure (and maybe clams).
5. The World’s Largest Reserve
Because the Mariana Trench is the largest reserve, there are obviously rules. You cannot fish around it, above it, etc., you cannot mine there, but you can however, swim. That’s if you want to even attempt sticking your toes in the vast abyss.
