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The Challenger chasm, the deepest point of the ocean

Underwater trenches.The mysteries that extend in this world of oceanic silence and darkness is still a challenge for the human mind and its curiosity. The Challenger chasm, with its 10,994 meters, is the deepest point of the ocean, its distance exceeds even the height of our Everest.Can you imagine what kind of life should exist at those depths and under that pressure?

Only one man has been able to reach the 10,898 meters to tell us about its darkness and its wonders thanks to a sophisticated submarine, the Deepsea Challenger.His name? James Cameron .

The deepest abyss of our oceans

The Challenger chasm, the deepest point of the ocean

Wikipedia

Seeing the superior image we can already locate ourselves.We are in the Mariana Trench, in the western Pacific.This region has a length of 2,500 km and extends towards below to reach 10,994 meters.It may be even more, since the National Geographic often comments that the 11km descent can be exceeded.This interesting point on our planet has always been the target of multiple projects of research, in which the recklessness, but also the desire to discover and understand, have caused man to risk his life by descending into that cold, dark world and at a pressure 1095 times higher than that of the surface.

But let's look in detail at the story of the Challenger pit and man's attempts to unravel its abyssal secrets:

  • The name was given in 1872. It was the frigate of the British Royal Navy Challenger who organized some expeditions at that time, but without much success.His calculations to establish the depth of the abyss were completely wrong.
  • On March 23, 1875 , he turned he saw an attempt by two separate surveys, estimating that it should be about 8,184 meters.
  • In 1912, in Sir John Murray's book "The Depths of the Ocean" depths of the ocean) is a little closer to the figure we have now.Sir John himself is part of the expedition, then setting the distance at 9,636 meters.
  • We leave now to the year 1951. The British Royal Navy HMS Challenger once again organizes an expedition.An echo survey is used, establishing that the depth should be 10,900 meters.
  • The 23rd of January 1960 , a new adventure begins with the Swiss bathyscaphe Trieste, which the United States Navy has bought.Inside, goes the oceanographer Jacques Piccard, his father Auguste Piccard and Lieutenant Don Walsh.it served to see the medium and find out if there was any kind of life.
  • In 1984, the Japanese They are interested in the Challenger chasm and use a sonar.10,923 meters.
  • In 2009 there was a further descent into the abyss, with the Nereus.7, The depth this time was much wider 10,994.
  • In 2012 James Cameron surprised the world with his adventure.Thanks to Deepsea Challenger, down to 10,898, thus being the first person to descend solo to the lowest point on Earth.

So, so far, the depth of the Challenger pit is set at 10,994, but nobody denies that the possibility of this distance increases in the coming years.

Is there any kind of life in the Challenger chasm?

The Challenger chasm, the deepest point of the ocean

Macropinna microstoma

James Cameron himself described the pit as a lunar desert.As if he were the only inhabitant of that wilderness scenario, where he paranormal could assault him and At any moment, he could only see worms, blind worms adapted to that terrible pressure, the same one that abolished the submarine itself sinking one of the windows towards it.

Well, the really interesting thing happened last year, in 2013.A team of scientists from the University of Southern Denmark, the Center for Greenland Climate Research, the Scottish Marine Institute, the Japanese Agency for Marine and Terrestrial Science and Technology and the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, sent a new bathyscaphe-but this time with no one inside-discovering something amazing : the Challenger chasm is full of life.

The Challenger chasm, the deepest point of the ocean

What kind of life? You will ask yourself. Microbial life. To ensure that this was possible, what was done was to measure oxygen consumption.The data were shocking: in that chasm, oxygen consumption is much higher than on the surface.It has not yet been possible to determine what type of microbes can exist in that recondito place-abyssal animals, such as the Macropinna microstoma or transparent head fish-only appear in higher strata, but what is found in those deeper, colder and deeper layers.hidden, it has excited the entire scientific community...and curious as we do.

Life makes its way in any scenario, whatever their conditions.Really fascinating.

Do you want to accompany James Cameron on his descent to the Challenger pit? Here is the video.

Image: silvio Pastore Stocchi

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