The oceans cover 71% of the surface of our amazing Earth. There are four of them, and their total area is 361 million km². An integral part of the oceans are the seas. They are different in shape and topography of the bottom. People are often interested in the highest mountains, the deepest gorges, large craters. In our short review we will tell you about the deepest seas and oceans of the planet.
The deepest seas
Let's start with the seas. We will use reference materials to make the Top 15 of the deepest seas. We take the maximum depths as the basis for the measurement.
1
Filipino
This sea belongs to the basin of the Pacific Ocean, and its waters splash over the Mariana Trench. It is because of this that the Philippine Sea is the deepest, with a maximum depth of 10,994 m.
It does not have clear boundaries and the natural boundaries are a group of islands and underwater ridges. On the bottom with a difficult topography, there are mountain ranges, the length of which reaches 2,500 km. There are also volcanoes with a height of over 3,000 m.
Due to underwater volcanoes, this is the most seismic zone of the earth, where earthquakes and tsunamis often occur.
2
Coral
With its western borders, the sea rests on the east coast of Australia, where the beautiful Great Barrier Reef runs along the bottom. The abundance of corals gave a name.
In the deepest place, the distance from the surface of the water to the bottom is 9,140 m.
One of the warmest seas of the world ocean with a stable climate, which is characterized by tropical cyclones and frequent heavy rains.
It was formed about 50 million years ago, when the Queensland shelf rose. At the same time, seismic activity subsided, and a large dividing ridge formed in the water.
By the way, on thebiggest.ru you can see a list of the largest seas on the planet.
3
Solomonovo
The sea, comfortably located between the islands, got its name because of the nearby Solomon Islands.
At the bottom there are two basins, the depth of which reaches 9 103 m, which puts it in third place in our rating. It has underwater active volcanoes and magnificent coral reefs on the southernmost border. From ancient times, the local tribes inhabiting the islands fed on fisheries, and today the tourism business has become a source of income.
Guadalcanal Island is the largest port of Honiara, built in the 40s of the twentieth century.
4
Fiji
In the southwestern part of the Pacific Ocean is the Fiji Sea. It got its name from the deep basin located in this part of the ocean and the islands of the same name. The depth of this basin is 7 633 m.
This is an open sea, and in shape resembles a triangle. In the east, its borders are the arch of the Kermadek Islands, and in the south - New Zealand. Geologists suggest that a basin formed on the ocean floor about 50 million years ago.
Fiji's main attraction is its underwater world. There are many coral reefs formed by Alcyonians. By the number of sunken ships, it occupies one of the first places in the world.
5
Sargassovo
The planet’s largest sea area got its name because of the large accumulation of brown floating algae of sargassus, which is also called “sea grape”.
The borders of the sea are the Atlantic currents, and most of the bottom is in the North American Basin, the maximum depth of the bottom is 6,995 m.
The special location led to a diverse wildlife. Here you can find flying fish, large turtles, various crustaceans. The first Europeans to see the sea, set off to seek India, the sailors of Christopher Columbus.
6
Caribbean
An exotic corner of our planet with an amazing flora and fauna is conveniently located between the shores of Central America and the beautiful Caribbean islands.
At the end of the first millennium AD, the Carib tribe settled on the island. The first Europeans to meet the representatives of the tribe gave the name to the sea. On some maps of European countries you can find the second name "Antilles Sea". Under the waters lies the Caribbean Plate, divided into five large basins.
The depth of the Cayman Basin is 7,686 m, this is the maximum depth of the Caribbean Sea. In this part of the earth in 1920 the Panama Canal was opened, connecting the two oceans.
7
Gang
Between the islands of the Malay archipelago are the expanses of the Banda Sea, which connects the Pacific and Indian Oceans through the straits. The total area is 714 thousand km².
In the Weber Depression, the depth of the bottom reaches 7,440 m. There are four distinct basins at the bottom, with a depth of over 4,000 m, so the Banda is quite deep-water.
The main forms of life are concentrated in the coastal zones of the islands and in shallow water. Coral buildings were chosen by sea worms, mollusks, and exotic fish. There is also an amazing talking fish, Umbrinus, which can make quite loud and unusual sounds.
8
Tulavu
On most maps, the warm equatorial sea is not even indicated, but it is quite vast and deep. The maximum depth in the Nova Camton bottom fault reaches 7,000 m.
It got its name from the Tuoavu group of islands, which in translation from the Polynesian language means "eight standing together." The Polynesians settled the islands back in the 3rd century, and the Europeans discovered the most beautiful islands in the 18th century.
There are no major ports in this part of the planet. Industrial production, because the water here is clean and clear. Among the six uninhabited islands of the archipelago, the Marina National Marine Park was founded. Among its inhabitants are sharks, exotic tropical fish, sea snakes and rare turtles.
9
Weddell
Off the coast of Antarctica, between the snow-white expanses of the Land of Cotes and the Antarctic Peninsula, the Weddell Sea is spread. It was opened in 1823 by the English navigator James Weddell. In 1900, a water body in the south of the Earth was named in his honor.
In the northern part, the bottom is at a depth of 6,820 m, but the southern and southwestern parts are shallow, and the depth does not exceed 500 m. Majestic glaciers flank the southern coast, from which large icebergs regularly break off.
In 1986, German researchers on the ship with the romantic name "Polar Star" noted here the highest transparency of water, reaching 79 m. This is almost equal to the level of transparency of distilled water.
10
Sulawesi
In Indonesian, it is called Laut Sulawesi, and it is located in the western part of the Pacific Ocean. Named for the large island of Sulawesi, which is under the jurisdiction of Indonesia.
In the north, it is framed by the Sulu archipelago. Majestic coral reefs formed at the bottom, among which a variety of vegetation, fish and animals live. The depth in some places reaches 6,220 m, which brings him into the top ten deep-sea water bodies of the earth.
It is through the Sulawesi Sea, due to surface currents, that the waters of the Pacific and Indian Ocean are connected
11
Scotch
Named after the Scotia research vessel of the Scottish expedition, led by William Bruce. Since 1932, they began to put it on a map under the name Skosh, go the Sea of Scotia.
If we take into account the average depths, this is one of the deepest seas in the world, and its maximum depth reaches 6,022 m. It is quite cold, since the surface temperature ranges from + 6 ° C to −1 ° C.
The Drake Strait connects it with the Pacific Ocean, and strong westerly winds constantly blow over the surface of the water. And this is the main area where majestic icebergs are emerging.
12
Tasmanovo
In fact, this is the strait that shares the island of Tasmania with the continent of Australia. The closest coastal distance is 1,679 km, and the deepest point of the East Australian Basin reaches 6,000 m.
From the north and south, it is very difficult to determine the borders, and they are rather arbitrary. In the water area there are several island groups that were explored by the Dutch navigator Abel Tasman. The sea was named after him.
50 years after the Dutchman, in the 1770s, James Cook studied and studied this part of the land in detail.
13
Arabian
Between the Hindustan Peninsula and the Arabian Peninsula, the waters of the marginal sea of the Indian Ocean are stretched. Divides Africa and the continent of Eurasia.
The maximum depth is 5,803 m, and the largest river flowing into the sea waters is the Indus. Large ports stretched along the banks, becoming important centers of trade between the West and the East. These are Mumbai, Karachi, the Omani port city of Salalah.
In the west is the large Gulf of Aden, notorious in the world for the seizure of peaceful ships by Somali pirates.
14
South China
A semi-enclosed sea stretches off the coast of Southeast Asia, bounded by the Indochina peninsula, as well as the large islands of Taiwan, Kalimantan, Palawan and the largest island of the Philippine archipelago Luzon.
In the deepest place, the depth is 5,560 m, and the average depth is a little more than 1,000 m. The water is very warm. In February, up to + 200 ° С, and in August + 340 ° С. The Main Sea Route, which is the safest in these waters, passes through it.
Typhoons carry a great danger during swimming. On average, up to 28 strongest tropical cyclones are recorded per year.
15
Beringovo
The deepest sea in Russia was named after Vitus Bering, who explored it from 1725 to 1743. Until 1833, it was designated on the maps as Kamchatka, or Beaver.
It covers an area of 2.315 million km², and a maximum depth of 4,151 m. Washes the shores of Russia and the United States, and finally the borders between the states were established in 1990 along the Shevardnadze-Baker line. Then the USSR ceded to the USA part of its territory.
More than 400 species of fish, crabs and mollusks live in the waters. Among mammals, it is worth noting the Pacific walrus, ringed seal and lahtak, which is called the sea hare. Huge Greenland whales, humpbacks and narwhals swim here.
Deepest oceans
There are four oceans on the planet, washing six continents of the planet. In determining the deepest ocean, we will use the same principle - maximum, not average depth.
1
Pacific Ocean
It was discovered during the round-the-world trip of Fernand Magellan. His ships, having overcome a difficult strait, entered the open ocean on November 28, 1520.
But the first resident of Europe who saw a new geographical feature was the Spaniard Nunez de Balboa. He crossed the Isthmus of Panama in 1513, and, seeing the vast expanses of water, called it the South Sea.
Over time, it was established that this is the largest ocean on the planet, and in 2011 specified the deepest point. The depths of the Mariana Trench in the deepest place, called the "Challenger Void" reaches 10,994 meters. Scientists give a correction of ± 40 m. Thus, the Pacific Ocean is the deepest of its four counterparts.
2
Atlantic Ocean
In second place is the beautiful Atlantic, whose maximum depth in the Puerto Rico trench is 8 742 m. The average depths over the entire area are 3 736 m.
The name comes from the ancient Greek word Atlantis. The first historian Herodotus used it, connecting the Atlantis Sea with the ancient legend of the lost Atlantis. But the Roman Pliny the Elder in the 1st century called it “Oceanus Atlanticus”.
It was formed in the Mesozoic era, when the supercontinent Pangea split into two parts. The hero of Alexander Belyaev's book Amphibian Man wanted to resettle humanity to the bottom of the ocean. Perhaps this will happen in the future, because flights into space were once considered unfeasible. But the seas and oceans are in no hurry to share their deep-sea secrets with a person. Indeed, in some places you just can’t get there without special equipment and technology.
TheBiggest.ru editors are asking you to write in the comments which deep seas you would like to visit, or maybe some of them you have already visited?