The Mariana Trench is home to many fascinating and unique creatures. Dive into the depths of this crescent-shaped trench, located in the Pacific Ocean, and discover its secrets. This 2,550 km long and 69 km wide fracture reaches the pitch-black void of the Hadal Zone, containing the deepest point on Earth known as the Challenger Deep, nestled 11,033 meters below the ocean's surface. Learn about the trench's formation due to subduction and the creation of the nearby Mariana Islands.

Timeline of Key Moments:

• 00:00 - Introduction
• 01:18 - Chapter 1: Gates of the Underworld - How the Trench Formed
• 02:41 - Chapter 1: Gates of the Underworld - An 'Impossible' Frontier
• 03:40 - Chapter 1: Gates of the Underworld - The HMS Challenger
• 04:11 - Chapter 2: In Pursuit of the Abyss - The Bathyscape Trieste, 1960
• 05:51 - Chapter 2: In Pursuit of the Abyss - The Deepsea Challenge, 2012
• 06:38 - Chapter 3: Discoveries in the Dark - The Kaiko Mission
• 07:56 - Chapter 3: Discoveries in the Dark - The Hadal Amphipod
• 09:00 - Chapter 3: Discoveries in the Dark - Abyssal Sea Cucumbers
• 09:45 - Chapter 3: Discoveries in the Dark - The Mariana Snailfish
• 10:17 - Chapter 3: Discoveries in the Dark - Denizens of the Abyss
• 11:05 - Conclusion

Explore more about our oceans at our deep sea website at: Deep Sea Website.

Note: All footage used complies with YouTube's 'Fair Use' policy and comes from various sources including MBARI, NatGeo, and the Schmidt Ocean Institute.