Earth's deepest trench dwarfs Mount Everest

The Mariana Trench, Earth's deepest point, plunges nearly 11,000 meters into the western Pacific. This incredible depth means if Mount Everest, at 8,848 meters, were placed inside, its peak would still be over two kilometers below the ocean's surface. First explored by humans in 1960, and later by James Cameron in 2012, this extreme environment hosts unique life forms despite crushing pressures. Only about 20% of the seafloor is mapped in high resolution, highlighting how much of our planet's depths remain a mystery.