Oceanic Trench
The deep ocean trench is generally three to four kilometers deep. The deepest ocean trench is the challenger deep of the marina trench. It is about thirty five thousand feet below the sea level. The depth of an ocean trench can depend on the older the sea floor the deeper the trench would be. There are many other factors that are responsible for the depth of an oceanic trench. Many of the deep ocean trenches are located near the continental shelves.
Apart from the challenger deep there are many deeper ocean trenches on earth. Some of them are. Tonga trench in Pacific Ocean it is about thirty four thousand feet deep. The Philippine trench that is about ten thousand meters deep is in the Pacific Ocean. The Japan Trench is another very important trench. It is about nine thousand meter deep. Most of the deep ocean trench is found in the Pacific Ocean. There are about twenty major deep ocean trenches in the world of which seventeen are found in the Pacific Ocean itself. Some of the trenches are filled with water. However, some of the deep ocean trenches are filled with sediments that were created by the shifting of the plates.
For those who have never gone under the water. If you want to compare these deep ocean trenches with something that can be seen on land then they can be described as deep chasms on the surface of a dry land. The size of the earth has not changed in thousands of years. However, every year new earth crust is created. As new crust is created the old has to destroy this is exactly why subduction (pushing down) happens and leads to the formation of these deep ocean trenches.
Some interesting facts about the deep ocean trench are as enclosed. The pull of gravity in these trenches is a little less compared to the other parts of the world. These trenches experience a lot of volcanic activities and the force of these earth quakes are quite high. The pressure is about sixteen thousand pounds per square inch. This is too high to even imagine. Many propose that considering the depth of these trenches nuclear waste can be deposited into them. Due to the high earth quake activities that happen in these areas the nuclear waste can finally be disposed of into the earth’s core giving these harmful chemicals a good and safe disposal. However, some scientists believe that these disposals might not be a great idea and can lead to only more issues and problems in the future. The international law prohibits the dumping of nuclear waste in the ocean as of now. We cannot say for sure if the deep ocean trench will be ever used for this purpose.
The deep ocean trench can be explained as a huge opening under the sea that is too deep and opens a whole new world. There is very little sunlight that reaches there and even the water pressure is very high. In spite of these weather constraints there is a whole new variety of life form in there. These were recently explored by the submarines that were sent down the marina trench. Thanks to the technology that we have today man is able to explore these deep corners of the earth. So far four voyages have gone to the depth of the marina trench. Two of them have been unmanned ships. They have collected samples that show trace of micro organisms. The last expedition was by James Cameron the film director. It is believed that in the future even common man will be able take a look into the deepest corners of the earth. Let’s wait and watch!
What Is A Deep Ocean Trench?,
