Turns out its not aliens. And I thought the Abyss was a documentary. But James Cameron knew it was made up, so in March 2012 James Cameron went down to the bottom of the Marianas Trench in a deep see submersible to shoot a movie and collect scientific samples. The BBC has a really nice infographic to give you an idea of just how incomprehensibly deep the deepest place on earth is.
So aside from curiosity why do we care what is down there?
We are still waiting to hear about what scientific discoveries Cameron's dive specifically helped to shed light on, but in the meantime here are some images of creatures living deep, deep within the ocean to wet your appetite.
So aside from curiosity why do we care what is down there?
- Earthquakes & Tsunamis - The Marianas trench (and other ocean trenches) is at the intersection of two tectonic plates. These intersections are thought to be the origin of really big earthquakes that cause tsunamis.
- Biology - Discovery of the surprisingly plentiful and varied lifeforms that live down there.
- Climate Change - The ocean trenches are thought to be important parts of the carbon cycle in the atmosphere as large amounts of carbon (organic matter) collects at the bottom of the trench.
We are still waiting to hear about what scientific discoveries Cameron's dive specifically helped to shed light on, but in the meantime here are some images of creatures living deep, deep within the ocean to wet your appetite.
Photo Credits: National Geographic 1, 2, 3
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