180 million years old, 36,000 feet deep, 1,000s of pounds of pressure, 100s of strange and undiscovered species, and only two exploration attempts have been made. The secrets waiting to be discovered at the bottom of the Marianas Trench could hold the key to uncovering a whole new world, hidden inside of our own. Marianas Trench (or the Mariana Trench) is a crescent shaped crevice at the bottom of the Western Pacific Ocean that is home to the deepest known point on Earth. The history, conditions, and living organisms of the Trench, all help scientists discover and learn more about our oceans and the mystery surrounding them.
For having such a long span of existence, Marianas Trench is relatively unexplored by humans. The geological phenomenon is estimated to have formed around 180 million years ago by the process of subduction. As explained by Becky Oskin, subduction is achieved when “one edge of one lithospheric plate is forced below the edge of another. The denser of the two plates sinks beneath the other. As it descends, the plate often generates…show more content… James Cameron needed a very reliable and safe vehicle to make his mission a success. The “Deepsea Challenger (DCV 1) is a 7.3-metre (24 ft) deep-diving submersible designed to reach the bottom of Challenger Deep, the deepest-known point on Earth” was the perfect machine for the job because it was specifically made for this exciting dive (Mariana Trench). It only took 2 hours and 36 minutes to reach the bottom of Challenger Deep at 35,787ft and only 1 hour and 10 minutes to get back to the surface. (Geib) This was a staggering difference to five hour journey both ways it took Walsh years ago. Unfortunately, Cameron experienced a gas leak at the bottom and due to that, was unable to take photographs. The leak was disappointing but it was lucky that nothing else came of it because, the dangers of the trench are
