9/17/2023 0 Comments Transport giant gold usa maps![]() In the hadal zone, the temperatures are just above freezing, and no light from the sun penetrates. This region, called the hadal or hadalpelagic zone, is named for Hades, the Greek god of the underworld. While what’s considered the deep ocean extends from 3,280 feet to 19,685 feet (1,000 meters to 6,000 meters) beneath the surface, deep-sea trenches can plunge to 36,000 feet (11,000 meters), according to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts. “Right away, all of our preconceptions about the ocean were blown out the window,” Feldman said. That means a trip to the Challenger Deep can put a vessel under pressure that is “equivalent to 50 jumbo jets,” Feldman noted.Īt high pressure, the tiniest structural defect can spell disaster, Feldman added.ĭuring the 1960 dive of the Trieste, passengers Jacques Piccard and Don Walsh said they were stunned to see living creatures. An atmosphere is a unit of measure that’s 14.7 pounds per square inch. ![]() And the trips are extremely dangerous, Feldman said.įor every 33 feet (10 meters) traveled beneath the ocean’s surface, the pressure increases by one atmosphere, according to NOAA. Only a few missions since have returned to such depths. It would take nearly 300 years - in the aftermath of the Titanic disaster - before sonar technology began to offer scientists a clearer picture of what lies in the ocean’s depths.Ī major step forward in human exploration came in 1960 with the historic dive of the Trieste bathyscaphe, a type of free-diving submersible, to the Challenger Deep, located more than 35,800 feet (10,916 meters) underwater. The first submarine was built by Dutch engineer Cornelis Drebbel in 1620, but it stuck to shallow waters. The disaster could have occurred during the submersible’s descent, as pressure on the vehicle grew. The US Navy later revealed that it had detected a sound on Sunday that would match an implosion, indicating the vessel, called the Titan, was rapidly destroyed. Operated by OceanGate Expeditions, a private company based in Washington state, the tourist vessel lost contact with its mother ship after departing on Sunday. The remnants of the ship lie about 900 miles (1,450 kilometers) off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and about 12,500 feet (3,800 meters) underwater. The submersible, which is believed to have been destroyed in a catastrophic implosion, killing all five people aboard, was en route to explore the wreckage of the RMS Titanic. ![]() The environment is dark with almost no visibility. There’s a reason deep-sea exploration by humans has been so limited: Traveling to the ocean’s depths means entering a realm with enormous levels of pressure the farther you descend - a high-risk endeavor. ![]()
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