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CHALLENGER DEEP

This spot in the ocean near

Guam is the deepest point

on Earth—nearly 7 miles

down. (Mount Everest is

only 5.5 miles tall.) Located

in the Mariana Trench,

Challenger Deep has been

visited by just three peo-

ple: two oceanographers

in 1960 and filmmaker

James Cameron in 2012.

It’s completely dark and

only a few degrees above

freezing in the trench, and

the pressure is intense:

eight tons per square inch.

But marine life has man-

aged to thrive. In fact,

some researchers believe

that life on Earth may have

originated there.

THE YONAGUNI

MONUMENT

Are they human-made

steps and ancient

pyramids that sank in an

earthquake, or natural

rock formations created

by currents? These under-

water structures off the

coast of Japan, often

called Japan’s Atlantis,

have baffled experts

since a diver found them

in 1986.

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Fascinating Facts