Submersible discovers hidden world in ocean deep enough to swallow Everest

India Today

5 days ago

Scientists have uncovered thriving underwater communities of extraordinary marine life at record-breaking depths in the northwest Pacific's Kuril-Kamchatka and Aleutian trenches, illuminating how life can flourish in the planet's most extreme environments.Using the human-crewed submersible Fendouzhe, researchers from the Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering (IDSSE) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences dove to depths surpassing 9,500 meters, descending well below where Mount Everest would stand if placed underwater.advertisementIn these dark, frigid regions beyond sunlight's reach, the team discovered vibrant populations of tube worms, clams, and other creatures that survive through chemosynthesis—a process in which organisms derive energy by processing chemicals like hydrogen sulfide and methane released from the seafloor, rather than consuming organic material.
'What makes our discovery groundbreaking is not just its greater depth—it's the astonishing abundance and diversity of chemosynthetic life we observed,' said IDSSE marine geochemist Mengran Du, co-author of the study published this week in the journal Nature.
The crushing pressure, scant food and lack of sunlight can make it hard to survive at these depths. (Photo: AP)
The findings extend the previously known limits for chemosynthesis-based animal communities by nearly a quarter, with the deepest recorded settlement at 9,533 meters beneath the ocean surface—about 25% deeper than ever documented. While marine animals have been observed at even greater depths in the Mariana Trench, these were not chemosynthetic.Du described the expansive community as 'a vibrant oasis in the vast desert of the deep sea.' The ecosystems, stretching across trenches thousands of kilometers long, were dominated by tube worms colored red, gray, or white—measuring 20–30 centimeters long—and white clams up to 23 centimeters, some of which may be unknown species.'Our journey into the hadal zone, where Earth's crustal plates collide in subduction, revealed the deepest and most extensive chemosynthetic communities known to exist,' said IDSSE marine geologist and expedition leader Xiaotong Peng.Besides chemical-eating species, other animals, including sea anemones, spoon worms, and sea cucumbers—dependent on organic matter drifting down from above—also inhabit these depths.The success of these life forms demonstrates remarkable resilience. 'Even though living in the harshest environment, these life forms found their way in surviving and thriving,' Du noted.The research not only broadens our understanding of Earth's deep-sea life but also carries implications beyond our planet. According to Peng, similar chemosynthetic ecosystems might exist in extraterrestrial oceans, such as those believed to exist on the moons of Jupiter, because chemical nutrients like methane and hydrogen are widely found elsewhere in the solar system.'Future works should focus on how these creatures adapt to such an extreme depth,' Peng said, emphasizing the significance of these discoveries for both Earthly and cosmic life.- EndsTune InMust Watch