Mariana Trench

The Mariana Trench in the western Pacific Ocean is the deepest known point on Earth. The Challenger Deep, its lowest section, plunges to approximately 10,935 meters (35,876 feet) — deep enough to submerge Mount Everest with over a mile to spare. The trench was formed by the subduction of the Pacific Plate beneath the Mariana Plate. The pressure at the bottom is over 1,000 times the atmospheric pressure at sea level — enough to crush most submarines. Despite these extreme conditions, life thrives in the Mariana Trench. Scientists have found bacteria, amphipods, sea cucumbers, snailfish, and other organisms adapted to darkness, extreme pressure, and cold. Only three humans have ever descended to the bottom: Don Walsh and Jacques Piccard in 1960, and filmmaker James Cameron in 2012.