Explained: What is Challenger Deep, the deepest spot in the ocean?

News: Kathy Sullivan, known as the first American woman to walk in space has also become the first woman to reach a Challenger Deep.

Facts:

• Challenger Deep: It is the deepest known point in the Earth’s oceans with a depth of around 10,984m.It is located in the Western Pacific Ocean at the southern end of the Mariana Trench near the Mariana Islands group.
• Significance of Deep Ocean Areas:
  • Finding out about the deep ocean areas can potentially reveal new sources for medical drugs, food, energy resources and other products. 
  • It can also help to predict earthquakes and tsunamis and help us understand how we are affecting and getting affected by the Earth’s environment.