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Some scientists are interested in the geologic structure and history of the seabed. They use explosives or other loud, low frequency sound sources that penetrate deep into the bottom layers. This is how oil deposites are found at sea.

Early SONAR maps soon revealed great undersea mountain chains and deep canyons. Far from being boring and flat, the sea floor was found to be just as dramatic, varied and changing as the land surfaces of the Earth. Most surprisingly, the deepest parts of the seas were found in trenches close to the edges of the continents of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans while relatively shallow regions were found in the middles of these oceans. It was found that the seafloor is spreading in these shallow, mid-ocean regions and there are many active volcanoes and black smokers there. These observations led to the theory of continental drift.

The deepest spot in the world is located in the Marianas Trench off New Guinea where it is over 11,000 meters deep! Can you find this place on a bathymetric chart?

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