The Mariana Trench Was Designated A Federal Landmark When?

The Mariana Trench, located in the United States Exclusive Economic Zone, is the deepest point on Earth and a significant habitat for seabirds, sea turtles, unique coral reefs, and a diverse range of marine life. Established in 2009 by President George W. Bush, the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument protects approximately 95,216 square miles of submerged lands and waters. The trench, which is 940 nautical miles long and 38 nautical miles wide, is a striking example of how tectonic plate collisions do not always result in the formation of a protected marine reserve.

The Mariana Trench is home to one-celled organisms called monothalamea, which have been found in the trench at a site where they were discovered. The majority of the Mariana Trench is now part of the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument, which was established in 2009. Permits for research in the monument, including the study of the Trench and its surrounding areas, are available.

The Mariana Trench Marine National Monument (MTMNM) covers approximately 24 million hectares of submerged lands and waters of the Marianas Archipelago. Scientists are studying the Trench and its impact on the environment, with the goal of protecting 95,000 square miles of seafloor and other natural resources.

Who travelled into the Mariana Trench in 2012?

James Cameron, a renowned explorer, made a record-breaking solo dive below the surface of the Pacific Ocean in the DEEPSEA CHALLENGER submersible vessel in March 2012. The company is committed to website accessibility and is working towards conforming to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). Users can provide feedback on accessibility by providing specific details, and can contact accessibility@rolex. com.

Why is the Mariana Trench so special?

The Mariana Trench, a chasm in the western Pacific Ocean, is the site of the Challenger Deep, the deepest known point on Earth, which plunges more than 36, 000 feet underwater. This depth is approximately three times greater than the depth of the wreckage of the RMS Titanic and greater than the height of Mount Everest. The chasm extends for a distance of approximately 1, 580 miles.

Has anyone gone to the bottom of the Mariana Trench?

In 1960, Don Walsh and Jacques Piccard were the first humans to reach the bottom of the Mariana Trench, descending in the Trieste submersible. The Trieste was retired after the dive, and no one returned to the trench until 2012. In 2012, filmmaker James Cameron made a solo dive using the Deepsea Challenger submersible, which was designed to withstand the deep ocean’s extreme pressure. The Challenger was the first submersible to return to the Challenger Deep since the Trieste.

In 2019, Victor Vescovo piloted the DSV Limiting Factor, the only submersible capable of reaching the deepest parts of the ocean multiple times, making several dives to the Challenger Deep, collecting biological samples, and mapping the ocean floor.

What does it mean that the Mariana Trench is a protected zone?

The Mariana Trench National Wildlife Refuge is a global ocean sanctuary that preserves deep habitats, maintains biological diversity, and supports conservation, management, and restoration of fish, wildlife, plants, and other scientific objects. The refuge system, owned and managed by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, prioritizes wildlife conservation, driving everything from refuge establishment to recreational activities and resource management tools.

The Marianas Trench Marine National Monument is currently in the process of developing a Monument Management Plan (MMP), a multi-year, multi-agency planning process. The Secretaries of the Interior and Commerce are required to complete an MMP to guide resource management, as stated in Presidential Proclamation 8335. The refuge system ensures the survival of local plants and animals and fulfills its purpose.

When was the Mariana Trench first explored?

The Mariana Trench, discovered in 1875 during the first ocean campaign aboard the Royal Navy’s HMS Challenger, is the deepest place on Earth. It lies in the north-western Pacific, where the Pacific tectonic plate runs beneath the Philippine plate. Measurements have been made using echo sounders, probes, ROVs, and bathymetric echo sounders, with results ranging between 10, 900 and 11, 034 meters deep. In 2014, the maximum recorded depth was 10, 984 meters ± 25 meters.

Who is the first woman in Mariana Trench?

NASA astronaut Kathy Sullivan has become the first woman to walk in space and make the 35, 810-foot descent to Challenger Deep, the lowest part of the Marianas Trench, 36 years after her 1984 journey. Sullivan, who descended with explorer Victor Vescovo, is now the eighth person to do so. The 68-year-old former astronaut, who was funded by the expedition, used a specially designed submersible called Limiting Factor, which can withstand 2, 425 tons of pressure on its titanium hull. Limiting Factor is the first vehicle to have repeatedly gone to the bottom of the ocean.

Is the Mariana Trench still unexplored?

The Mariana Trench, a 2, 550 km long, 69 km wide crescent-shaped scar in Earth’s crust, is largely unexplored and dark. Its terrain features steep, rocky walls and a sediment-covered floor, with extreme conditions like immense pressure, near-freezing temperatures, and complete darkness. The trench is an oceanic-oceanic convergent plate boundary, formed where the Pacific Plate is subducting beneath the smaller Mariana Plate. Only Jacques Piccard and Don Walsh, James Cameron, and Victor Vescovo have descended to the Challenger Deep, the deepest part of the trench.

Why is the Mariana Trench so important?

The Mariana Trench Marine National Monument is a unique underwater location that is home to the second deepest point on Earth, Sirena Deep, and is adjacent to the deepest spot on Earth, Challenger Deep. The site is located at the junction of two tectonic plates and features rare geologic features such as mud volcanoes, submarine volcanoes, and hydrothermal vents spewing carbon dioxide. The diverse habitats of the Monument support thriving marine ecosystems, including many newly discovered species.

The Mariana Trench marks the boundary where the Pacific Plate, the oldest ocean floor on Earth, is being subducted beneath the younger Mariana Plate. Ongoing plate tectonics and seismic activity are creating unparalleled geologic processes, such as massive submarine mud volcanoes and spectacular hydrothermal vents called “smokers”, spewing carbon dioxide bubbles. This is one of the few sites in the world where chemosynthesis and photosynthesis occur in the same proximity, providing a natural, in-situ laboratory for climate change and ocean acidification research.

The Monument waters surrounding Maug caldera and nearby Farallon de Parajos and Asuncion volcanic islands are in their geologic infancy and exemplify the creation stage of earth’s history. This site has important natural heritage values and cultural heritage values that may be included in a future nomination.

Who explored the Mariana Trench in 1960?

In 1960, Navy Lt. Don Walsh and Swiss oceanographer Jacques Piccard were the first to descend to the deepest part of the ocean, the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench. In 2012, National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence James Cameron made history by becoming the first person to make a solo dive to the deepest known part of the ocean, the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench. Walsh is still involved in ocean research and was a key adviser on Cameron’s team.

Why does the US own the Mariana Trench?

The Mariana Trench, a protected marine reserve in the United States, was established in 2009 by former President George W. Bush. The reserve covers 195, 000 square miles of seafloor and waters surrounding the 15 Northern Mariana Islands, including most of the Mariana Trench, 21 underwater volcanoes, and areas around three islands. The formation of the Mariana Trench occurs in a subduction zone where two massive oceanic crust slabs collide, creating a deep trench above the bend in the sinking crust. The Pacific Ocean crust is 180 million years old, while the Philippine plate is younger and smaller. The Mariana Trench is a significant part of the Earth’s mantle.

Is the Mariana Trench guarded?

The Mariana Trench, a part of the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument, is now a U. S. protected zone. Established in 2009, permits for research in the monument, including Sirena Deep, have been secured from the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Permits for research in the Challenger Deep have been secured from the Federated States of Micronesia. The trench is cloaked in perpetual darkness and has a water pressure of eight tons per square inch, which increases with depth. The first human descended into the Challenger Deep was over 50 years ago in 1960, when Jacques Piccard and Navy Lt. Don Walsh reached the bottom in a bathyscaphe called the Trieste.