MARIANA TRENCHOCEANOGRAPHY

DEPTH COMPARISON

FACTS ON THE MARIANA TRENCH

• LOCATED IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN NEAR JAPAN• 1,580 MILES LONG• 43 MILES WIDE• IT IS THE DEEPEST LOCATION IN THE EARTH’S OCEAN AND PLANET EARTH IS

SELF.• FIRST EXPLORED BY THE BRITISH VESSEL HMS CHALLENGER II

A OCEANIC SEAFLOOR VIEW.

WHAT CREATED THE MARIANA TRENCH

• IT WAS CREATED BY OCEAN CRUST-TO-OCEAN CRUST SUBDUCTION.• A PHENOMENA IN WHICH A OCEANIC PLATE IS TOPPED BY ANOTHER OCEANIC

PLATE.• THIS FORCE IS CALLED PLATE TECTONICS.• THE THICKER PLATE STAYS TALL, WHILE THE WEAKER PLATE (SUBDUCTS) OR

CURLS UNDER THE OTHER TO CREATE A TRENCH.

A SATELLITE IMAGE

MORE FACTS ON THE MARIANA TRENCH

• THE DEEPEST POINT OF THE TRENCH WAS FOUND IN 1960 BY THE TRIESTE A U.S. NAVY MANNED SUBMERSIBLE.

• THE MARIANA TRENCH IS NOW A U.S. PROTECTED ZONE AS PART OF THE MARIANAS TRENCH MARINE NATIONAL MONUMENT

• FOR A VIRTUAL LOOK SEE HTTP://DEEPSEACHALLENAGE.COM