CHALLENGER CHASM: GEOLOGICAL FORMATION, LOCATION, CHARACTERISTICS - GEOGRAPHY - 2024

The Challenger Deep is the deepest site in the ocean on record so far. This area has been explored on several occasions by research teams and it has been determined that the pit has a depression of almost 11 kilometers.

This point is located in the southern part of the Mariana Trench in the western Pacific Ocean. This area is surrounded by different Asian nations such as China, Taiwan, Japan, Malaysia or the Philippines.

Aerial image of the Challenger Deep. Via Wikimedia Commons.

The name of the Challenger abyss was born from the initial expedition that was made in the area of ​​the Mariana Trench in 1875, although at that time all the characteristics present in the deepest place on the planet discovered so far were not yet aware.

There are several, but few, the descents that have been made to the depths of the Challenger Abyss throughout history. Site that has also been called the Challenger pit or Challenger chasm (which means 'very deep well').

Due to its size, it is estimated that not even 10% of the ocean has been studied by scientists so far. So it is likely that there are areas equal to or deeper than the Challenger Abyss. They just need to be discovered.

Geological formation

The deepest part of the Mariana Trench is considered by scientists as a site where two tectonic plates meet.

There are images of the Challenger Abyss thanks to the descent made by James Cameron. At that time, an area full of sediments was portrayed and it was characterized by its tranquility. Despite everything, geologists claim that it is an area where a large amount of life has existed during all these centuries.

The Challenger Chasm in its valley forms a very smooth terrain. For scientists this happens because the earth, in these deep areas, is always in motion. One example of this is that many earthquakes occur in the deepest parts of the oceans.

For now, many of the characteristics of the Challenger Abyss remain under study. One of the features they are trying to determine is whether tectonic activity has caused a tsunami in this area.

Lava remains were also found in the valley floor of the Mariana Trench, but the origin of these mounds has not been determined.

So far there are more doubts than certainties about the formation of the Challenger Chasm. This is due to the fact that only two human descents have been made since the depression of this site was known and, therefore, its importance to learn more about the process of formation and change that the planet has experienced.

Another finding that was made in the area occurred with the presence of microbial mats. These microbes are believed to bear some kind of similarity to the oldest life forms that existed on earth.

Geographic location

The Challenger Chasm can be located in the Mariana Trench. Its most precise position is in the southern part of this formation that is in the Pacific Ocean.

To the east of the area is the territory of the Philippines, although at a distance of about 200 kilometers or 322 kilometers from Guam.

The deepest point of the Mariana Trench is the Challenger Chasm, which is more than 10,000 meters deep.

characteristics

There are several features of the Challenger Deep that are quite noticeable when you consider how deep this ocean valley is. For starters, the temperature at the bottom is very cold and can range from 1 to 4 degrees Celsius.

Despite everything, some forms of life have been discovered that have been able to resist all this time to these low temperatures.

There are certain species of gelatinous creatures and others that resemble shrimp in shape. Without forgetting that it is a place full of microbes and many spices that only have one cell.

The Challenger Deep is a large valley. It is 11 kilometers long and almost two kilometers wide.

On the other hand, one of the most obvious characteristics is the great pressure that exists in the Challenger Abyss due to its depth. The pressure has been calculated to be between 15 and 16 thousand PSI. To understand the figure, it is estimated that the pressure is a thousand times higher than that experienced by living beings on earth.

Expeditions

All known data on the Challenger Abyss have been made possible by humans arriving in this remote area of ​​the Pacific Ocean in order to study its characteristics.

The first trip to the area occurred in the 19th century thanks to the motivation that the Scotsman Charles Wyville Thomson had to study the ocean. The Royal Society of London for the Advancement of Natural Science believed in the explorer and helped him on the journey that began in 1972.

Wyville traveled in an English vessel, named HMS Challenger. The ship was initially a warship, but was transformed to meet the scientific needs of the time. One of the measures was to remove the cannons on the sides, since the tools that allowed marine measurements were installed from those areas.

In March 1875 the expedition reached an area near the Mariana Islands and they came to record an area eight kilometers deep. That valley was eventually renamed the Challenger Abyss thanks to this discovery. Since then, that is the deepest point known to this day.

Initial journey of a human

It took almost a century for progress to be made in the study of the Challenger Abyss. In January 1960 Don Walsh joined Jacques Piccard to board a ship named Triestre. The objective was to reach the bottom of the valley located in the Mariana Trench.

It took almost five hours for the two crew members to reach the bottom of the ocean. They determined that the depth was 11.5 kilometers to the surface. This expedition was called the Nekton project and received great attention worldwide.

Progress to reach the bottom of the Challenger Chasm prompted new soundings to collect marine samples to study the valley. It wasn't long before interest in space diverted attention and investment from these studies.

More than 20 years later the Japanese sent a sonar to study the seabed. This time the distance to the bottom of the Challenger Chasm was corrected again and it was determined to be 10,923 meters away.

Probes were submerged twice more in the valley with the aim of delving into its characteristics, although without much new data. It happened in 1995 and 2009.

The most important breakthrough occurred in 2012 when film director James Cameron took a ship down into the depths of the Challenger Abyss. He became the third man to do so, but it is the only trip that has been made alone.

It was much more efficient, reaching the deepest point in just two hours. This could happen thanks to the creation of a boat called the Deepsea Challenger.

References

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3. Labrecque, E. (2015). Deep oceans. Raintree Publishers.
4. Lyman, T., Pelseneer, P. and Thomson, C. (1888). Report on the scientific results of the voyage of HMS Challenger during the years 1873-76.: Her Majesty's Stationery Off.
5. Swedin, E. (2005). Science in the contemporary world: An Encyclopedia. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO.