The Mariana Trench, also referred to as the Marianas Trench, is a deep and narrow depression in the ocean floor located in the western North Pacific Ocean.

It is the deepest trench known on Earth.

The Mariana Trench was designated as a U.S. national monument in 2009.

Breaking the world record for the deepest descent, filmmaker James Cameron dove 35,756 feet into the trench in the submersible Deepsea Challenger.

The trench is located on
a subduction zone, where two tectonic plates collide, forcing the edge of the Pacific plate to dive below the Philippine plate.

The deepest known piece of plastic was a flimsy grocery bag found at 36,000 feet inside the Mariana Trench.

The Mariana Trench is covered in complete darkness in most areas and reaches temperatures a few degrees above freezing.

If Mount Everest (the tallest mountain in the world) was placed at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, the peak of Everest would still be thousands of feet from the ocean’s surface.

The U.S. holds responsibility for the Mariana Trench because the trench is near the island of Guam, which is a U.S. territory.

Challenger Deep is a trench inside the Mariana Trench and is the deepest point in the ocean.

There are not many living organisms inhabiting
the Challenger Deep, only a few types of sea cucumbers and single-celled organisms call this dark place home.