Exploring the Depths of the Mariana Trench

The ocean’s trench of the deepest area of the earth

This huge expanse that is more than seventy percent of the earth’s surface is perhaps one of the most fascinating but least explored domain that is the ocean. Within this vast sea, there is a geological formation that can completed be termed as awe-inspiring and that is the Mariana trench. This immense underwater chasm which stands 1,500 miles long with depths that are approximately six and a half miles deep is living proof of forces that mould the Earth.

Plunging into the Unknown

The Mariana Trench is an eye opener as a testament of how big our world is and how strong it can be. Owing to the tectonic plate activity, this trench is the product of the Pacific plate underthrusting the Mariana plate; it’s the world’s deepest point in the oceans. This size can be named as truly immense, as even the highest peak in the entire world – Mount Everest – if placed in the trench, would be covered by water at least by one mile.

Describing the features of the Mariana Trench as well as attempting to dive into it is rather a difficult mission. The pressure here descends above 15 000 pounds per square inch, or the pressure that three SUVs apply to your toe, making it one of the harshest environments on the planet. Very few people have ever descended to the trench, the first time it was achieved in 1960 by the Swiss oceanographer being sent to the trench by a bathyscaphe Jacques Piccard and U. S. Navy Lieutenant Don Walsh.

A Gold Mine of New Science

Nonetheless the difficulties involved, the Mariana Trench is currently still an intrigue to many researchers and enthusiasts. Everytime scientists explore it, they come across new scientific findings useful in understanding the geological dynamics of the earth.

Very unexpectedly, and quite surprisingly, life was discovered in the depths of the Mariana Trench. Many different types of organisms including shrimp-like crustaceans, comb jellies, sea cucumbers and more have been found living in the the Mariana Trench where pressure is more than a thousand times the standard atmospheric pressure and no light penetrates. These extremophiles as they are called are of much importance when it comes to understanding the capabilities of life and the ability of ecosystems of the planet to sustain life.

            FROM this angle it becomes easier to see that in revealing geology of the Trench the book also aims at unveiling a number of secrets.

Apart from the weird creatures, the Mariana Trench provides a view into the earth’s interior that cannot be viewed anywhere else. The moment that the pacific plate is subducted at the trench region, this forms a deep, long and narrow trench that goes down to the mantle, the lower crust that is made of molten rocks.

Among the peculiarities of the Mariana Trench, there is a rather enigmatic hadal zone which is the deepest area of the trench and named after Hades, the Greek impart of the underworld. This region is at below 6 miles, where pressure, lack of light, space, and nutrients are all very limited, but still scientists keep on making new and interesting discovery about the nature’s endurance, as well as the movements of the Earth’s crust.

Protecting the Tiny Biosphere of the Mariana Trench

The awareness of the Mariana Trench and its meager numbers enhances the knowledge people have about the need for protection for this ecosystem. The trench and the waters around the trench are within the habitat of many animals, some of which are unique to this environment. Unfortunately for this ecosystem, human interferes through deep-sea mining, pollution and climate change that affect the balance of this ecosystem.

Consequently, the Mariana Trench has been recognized as a U. S. National Monument and this means that it has been protected by laws and more conservation has been given to it. Unfortunately, a lot of effort is still needed to protect and preserve this rather unique natural formation for a long period of time. Thus, further investigation into the Mariana Trench in addition to the existing research that has already been conducted will go a long way in finding out its relevance and the ways in preventing any unfavorable future occurrence.

On a similar note, considering the Mariana Trench, the traveler will be able to experience a rather fascinating activity.

Thus, the Mariana Trench remains a sensational proof of the Earth is strength and its myriad of features. From the great pressures that scientists and engineers explored, to the amazing forms of life discovered in the deep, nutrient-filled waters of this inky-blue oceanic world, this never-ending interest prevails in the eye and ear of its catchment market of spectators.

As we extend human and robotic enterprise and advance new technologies, the Mariana Trench will undoubtedly continue to be a concentrated area of scientific study and concern for the preservation of the world’s oceans. If we can decipher the mysteries of this rather unique geographical formation, we are presented with a thrilling opportunity to explore the history, the actual state, and the possibilities of the constantly evolving planet we inhabit – and maybe, to discover the possibilities of the failure of life itself.