The Mariana Trench. The Mariana Trench, located in the western Pacific Ocean bordering the Mariana Islands, is the deepest place on Earth. Its maximum depth reaches 10.03 km below sea level, which is more than 10 times the height from Mount Everest to its base.

The depression was first explored in 1960 by scientists from the US and USSR, who used steel balls attached to cables to lower themselves to the bottom. One of the first creatures the scientists encountered was a giant isopod known as “Bathynomus,” which can survive at depths of up to 6 km.

The depression is also home to many unique species of fish and animals adapted to extreme pressure and darkness. For example, at depths of over 800 meters there are fish that glow in the dark, using their luminescent organs to attract prey or to communicate with other individuals.

The water in the depression also has unique properties due to high pressure and lack of sunlight. It becomes denser and darker with depth, and has a high concentration of salt and other minerals, making it unsuitable for most living organisms.