
Mariana Trench MNM Superintendent Sean Macduff gives the Corps of Exploration a presentation all about the Monument.
For the next few days, we'll be diving with Orpheus Ocean's Orpheus AUV on the abyssal plain habitat east of the Mariana Trench. These underwater plains are found from 3,000 to 6,000 meters deep, covering about 70% of the ocean floor. Although they are one of the most significant habitats on Earth, abyssal plains remain some of the least explored parts of the planet, due to their extreme depths. To date, there have been no dives to explore the abyssal plain in the Mariana Archipelago.
Last night we passed over the Mariana Trench, which is so deep that even our sonars can't map it!