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This Mind-Blowing Illustration Shows How Deep The Ocean Is, And It Will Terrify You
The ocean covers more than 70% of the Earth’s surface, yet we don’t often realize just how truly deep and mysterious it is. National Ocean Service reports that around 95% of the ocean is unexplored, meaning that we really have no idea what lies deep down beneath the surface. Likely inspired by the mystery, Randall Munroe of xkcd decided to draw a comic titled “Lakes and Oceans”, combining both the facts we know about the deep sea as well as humorous details to explain just how shallow our knowledge of the waters is.
Positioned at the top of the illustration, the Great Lakes freighter SS Edmund Fitzgerald sank in 1975 in water that was shallower than it was long (the ship was over 200m long while it was found at the depth of 160m). The illustration also features such elements as the famous RMS Titanic, Burj Khalifa and even stick figures of Freddie Mercury and David Bowie, a clever reference to their song “Under Pressure”! At the bottom of the image, around 10,916 m is the Challenger Deep, the deepest known point on Earth, which is in the Mariana Trench, Pacific Ocean. James Cameron made a descent to the bottom of it on 26 March 2012 and filmed his experience. The door in the picture is fictional, however, as the artist is only implying that Cameron went so deep to reach it, instead of making the descent just for the sake of it.
While Cameron reported only seeing tiny amphipods and no fish, we can only imagine what swims at the rest of the unexplored 95% of the ocean as some creatures found by a Russian fisherman Roman Fedortsov look like monsters out of our worst nightmares.
More info: xkcd.com
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Sometimes we don’t even comprehend how deep the ocean is and Randall Munroe shows it perfectly in this infographic
Click through to see the original size.
The Great Lakes freighter SS Edmund Fitzgerald sank in 1975 in water that was shallower than it was long
The vessels that seem lost in the depths of the sea are just at the top of the picture
The RMS Titanic sank on 14 April 1912 and now lies in two parts at about 3,784 m deep
The illustration also features stick figures of David Bowie and Freddie Mercury, a reference to their song “Under Pressure”
Only 5% of the ocean is explored, leaving the rest of it a mystery with only glimpses of what lies beneath the surface
The deepest known point on Earth, the Challenger Deep, is in the Mariana Trench, at about 10,916 m
James Cameron made a descent to the bottom of it on 26 March 2012
Although he only reported seeing tiny amphipods and no fish, we can only imagine what creatures swim within the depths
Image credits: Roman Fedortsov
Image credits: Roman Fedortsov
As a Russian fisherman, Roman Fedortsov’s photos suggest…
Image credits: Roman Fedortsov
Image credits: Roman Fedortsov
These creatures are just a taste of what the depths of sea have to offer
Image credits: Roman Fedortsov
Image credits: Roman Fedortsov
Image credits: Roman Fedortsov
Image credits: Roman Fedortsov
Image credits: Roman Fedortsov
Image credits: Roman Fedortsov
Image credits: Roman Fedortsov
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What do you think ?
Alia G. 6 years ago
The ocean... The final frontier... These are the voyages of the Submarine Enterprise... It’s continuing mission to seek out new life and new depths... To boldly go where no one has gone before!
Gayle Bynum Cardosa 6 years ago
Being at sea and seeing the creatures out there really kind of changes you. When you're on watch you sit in the wheelhouse. It's dark except for the glow of the electronics on the panels and usually it's just me and one other person (in case one person nods off there's another one to shake you awake). We will have music going and it always feels a little eerie and beautiful at the same time. There are things happening out there that you just know many people will never get to see. You do your watch and then when the sun starts to come up it fills the wheelhouse with an orange or purple glow. It's just surreal. Every one of us is scared of the ocean but it has provided us all with amazing adventures. Superpods of dolphins, flying fish everywhere, whales, Portuguese man-o-wars with their puffy bladder sails, hundreds of basking sharks everywhere...so many that we had to steer around them...huge rays jumping out of the waves, literally hundreds of thousands of jellies. It's great.
Daniel Fleming 6 years ago
Should not have looked at the fish photos while Chrome is in full screen. Scared the c**p outta me.
JillVille Child Care 6 years ago
Wait, there's a door in the bottom of the ocean? Is it like a plug? If it actually gets opened the whole ocean would drain? ... Pardon me while I go look up James Cameron's adventures...
La Petite Morte 6 years ago
This is but one of the many delightful, informative, and downright nerdy comics you can find in the comic strip XKCD. He first posted this one 4 or 5 years ago, I think. If you're a science nerd I highly highly recommend looking up his strip. Be warned, though. It will be a time suck of epic proportions! He even wrote a book giving scientific explanations to silly questions, such as 'Why can't you have a pizza delivered to a plane in flight?' It's a must read for any science/ math/ anything nerds out there!!!
Laura Catania 6 years ago
Right, the weird fish didn't bother me but big yellow spider made a chill go up my spine
Load More Replies...
stellermatt 6 years ago
probably not the main fact to take away from this, but how much of an epic song is 'under pressure', you-tube it and listen to the 'just the vocals version' it's incredible.
Johanna Zamora 6 years ago
I think there is nothing scary about it, it's just it's own liquid world that operates with rules we can only bend so much
Yukobuz 6 years ago
They do swell a bit and their eyes get bigger. And I think some organs may rupture. But ultimately no they won't explode, because A) skin is stronger than you'd expect and B) humans have lots of air in them which is easily compressible less air and more water inside which is harder to compress. If that makes sense.
Load More Replies...
Hansel Jonathan 6 years ago
Me: a little deeper we go! Then i dive in way more than a lot deeper.
Load More Replies...
A Ghost 6 years ago
I think it would be crushed by water pressure almost immediately
Load More Replies...
A S Koziol 6 years ago
I think scientist know more about the moon and Mars than we know about the oceans of our own planet.
Load More Replies...
Manoj kumar Prusty 4 years ago
Should not have looked at the fish photos while Chrome is in full screen. Scared the c**p outta me. How Deep Is The Ocean
Jenny Kirk 6 years ago
I love scuba diving for just that reason. Being able to go under and find those rare creatures it’s like going into another world right here on earth. That’s why we need to protect this wonderful mysterious place. I’m am also glad I can’t dive that deep because some of those creatures in the photos down right scare me
Chris dude 6 years ago
Thanks for reminding me that the deep sea is terrifying ^_^ Didn't need to sleep tonight either way :P
Marilyn Slater 6 years ago
How do these creatures keep their shape once they leave the pressure of the deep? I would have expected them to collapse into blobs. There is something pretty remarkable about them, being able to remain intact.
Star wølfgaze AJ 6 years ago
There could even be thought to be extinct animals in unexplored waters
I Am the Walrus 6 years ago
I have to wonder if Amelia Earhart's plane is sunk down in these depths as well. Such a strange mystery.
BREAK YOUr perceptions 6 years ago
there are monsters in our oceans and people love beaches....BYE! im staying in the woods.
Just JoLynn 6 years ago
To be fair, beaches and deep sea trenches have very little in common in terms of the life it supports.
Load More Replies...
nazan fidan 6 years ago
is he will not say what he sees within then why did he do that descent? can not understand
Carolus Maxima 6 years ago
Omg. I saw this yesterday on reddit and totally missed the bowie/mercury reference. I was like "yeah, I like those musicians." smh. Slow.
Gayle Bynum Cardosa 6 years ago
I feel sorry for these creatures. I'd rather not be looking at their dead bodies. Poor things. I know they're just fish but still...
Karan 3 years ago
Ocean deepness of all the seas have been considered different. However, the mystery of the depths of the oceans is still intact. The depth of the sea is very cold, dark and sometimes due to high pressure, oxygen also decreases here. https://science-hub.tech/ocean-deepness-worlds-10-deepest-sea-trenches/
LovePsychos 6 years ago
And some people say that mermaids don't exist. How can they be so sure?? Ocean is huge. We will never be able to say that we have discovered all the marine life. These photos are the proof... Every so we discover strange fish we have never seen before, so why it's impossible that mermaids exist. Maybe they live down there and maybe they don't look like as we know them. Who knows??
Sabal Minor 6 years ago
And yet if you gathered all the seas up into one big ball it would barely be as wide as say Michigan & only a few hundred feet tall. Or so I saw on a documentary not too long ago. Seems like it would be much more water than that but it does make you see how dry the Earth actually is!
Edwin Lesperance 6 years ago
A door? At the bottom of the Marianas Trench, Challenger Deep? And James Cameron won't say??? Hollow Earth anyone?
Abinico Arts 6 years ago
What do I think? I think some of them creatures need serious dental work.
Jovy Jergens 6 years ago
Always (fancifully) wondered whether Aliens lived on earth and, if so, would it be in the hidden depths of the deepest oceans where no human knows what the heck is going on.
Anna Salerno 6 years ago
The only part of the ocean I like is the clear blue waters of the Caribbean and the beach!
seno aditya 6 years ago
"And if all trees on earth become writing tool, all sea water to become the ink, it shant able to write down the whole God's knowledges.."
Matthew Hyder 6 years ago
I'm surprised xcdc still makes stuff by the way, his webcomic stuff is kind of... different. :p P.S. "F**k Grapefruit"
Kristi Zoebelein 6 years ago
Looks like it's from The Oatmeal. That's the font he always uses, that's kinda the point. It's silly and informative at the same time. Hence the jokes you can find throughout.
Load More Replies... Alia G. 6 years ago
The ocean... The final frontier... These are the voyages of the Submarine Enterprise... It’s continuing mission to seek out new life and new depths... To boldly go where no one has gone before!
Gayle Bynum Cardosa 6 years ago
Being at sea and seeing the creatures out there really kind of changes you. When you're on watch you sit in the wheelhouse. It's dark except for the glow of the electronics on the panels and usually it's just me and one other person (in case one person nods off there's another one to shake you awake). We will have music going and it always feels a little eerie and beautiful at the same time. There are things happening out there that you just know many people will never get to see. You do your watch and then when the sun starts to come up it fills the wheelhouse with an orange or purple glow. It's just surreal. Every one of us is scared of the ocean but it has provided us all with amazing adventures. Superpods of dolphins, flying fish everywhere, whales, Portuguese man-o-wars with their puffy bladder sails, hundreds of basking sharks everywhere...so many that we had to steer around them...huge rays jumping out of the waves, literally hundreds of thousands of jellies. It's great.
Daniel Fleming 6 years ago
Should not have looked at the fish photos while Chrome is in full screen. Scared the c**p outta me.
JillVille Child Care 6 years ago
Wait, there's a door in the bottom of the ocean? Is it like a plug? If it actually gets opened the whole ocean would drain? ... Pardon me while I go look up James Cameron's adventures...
La Petite Morte 6 years ago
This is but one of the many delightful, informative, and downright nerdy comics you can find in the comic strip XKCD. He first posted this one 4 or 5 years ago, I think. If you're a science nerd I highly highly recommend looking up his strip. Be warned, though. It will be a time suck of epic proportions! He even wrote a book giving scientific explanations to silly questions, such as 'Why can't you have a pizza delivered to a plane in flight?' It's a must read for any science/ math/ anything nerds out there!!!
Laura Catania 6 years ago
Right, the weird fish didn't bother me but big yellow spider made a chill go up my spine
Load More Replies... stellermatt 6 years ago
probably not the main fact to take away from this, but how much of an epic song is 'under pressure', you-tube it and listen to the 'just the vocals version' it's incredible.
Johanna Zamora 6 years ago
I think there is nothing scary about it, it's just it's own liquid world that operates with rules we can only bend so much
Yukobuz 6 years ago
They do swell a bit and their eyes get bigger. And I think some organs may rupture. But ultimately no they won't explode, because A) skin is stronger than you'd expect and B) humans have lots of air in them which is easily compressible less air and more water inside which is harder to compress. If that makes sense.
Load More Replies... Hansel Jonathan 6 years ago
Me: a little deeper we go! Then i dive in way more than a lot deeper.
Load More Replies... A Ghost 6 years ago
I think it would be crushed by water pressure almost immediately
Load More Replies... A S Koziol 6 years ago
I think scientist know more about the moon and Mars than we know about the oceans of our own planet.
Load More Replies... Manoj kumar Prusty 4 years ago
Should not have looked at the fish photos while Chrome is in full screen. Scared the c**p outta me. How Deep Is The Ocean
Jenny Kirk 6 years ago
I love scuba diving for just that reason. Being able to go under and find those rare creatures it’s like going into another world right here on earth. That’s why we need to protect this wonderful mysterious place. I’m am also glad I can’t dive that deep because some of those creatures in the photos down right scare me
Chris dude 6 years ago
Thanks for reminding me that the deep sea is terrifying ^_^ Didn't need to sleep tonight either way :P
Marilyn Slater 6 years ago
How do these creatures keep their shape once they leave the pressure of the deep? I would have expected them to collapse into blobs. There is something pretty remarkable about them, being able to remain intact.
Star wølfgaze AJ 6 years ago
There could even be thought to be extinct animals in unexplored waters
I Am the Walrus 6 years ago
I have to wonder if Amelia Earhart's plane is sunk down in these depths as well. Such a strange mystery.
BREAK YOUr perceptions 6 years ago
there are monsters in our oceans and people love beaches....BYE! im staying in the woods.
Just JoLynn 6 years ago
To be fair, beaches and deep sea trenches have very little in common in terms of the life it supports.
Load More Replies... nazan fidan 6 years ago
is he will not say what he sees within then why did he do that descent? can not understand
Carolus Maxima 6 years ago
Omg. I saw this yesterday on reddit and totally missed the bowie/mercury reference. I was like "yeah, I like those musicians." smh. Slow.
Gayle Bynum Cardosa 6 years ago
I feel sorry for these creatures. I'd rather not be looking at their dead bodies. Poor things. I know they're just fish but still...
Karan 3 years ago
Ocean deepness of all the seas have been considered different. However, the mystery of the depths of the oceans is still intact. The depth of the sea is very cold, dark and sometimes due to high pressure, oxygen also decreases here. https://science-hub.tech/ocean-deepness-worlds-10-deepest-sea-trenches/
LovePsychos 6 years ago
And some people say that mermaids don't exist. How can they be so sure?? Ocean is huge. We will never be able to say that we have discovered all the marine life. These photos are the proof... Every so we discover strange fish we have never seen before, so why it's impossible that mermaids exist. Maybe they live down there and maybe they don't look like as we know them. Who knows??
Sabal Minor 6 years ago
And yet if you gathered all the seas up into one big ball it would barely be as wide as say Michigan & only a few hundred feet tall. Or so I saw on a documentary not too long ago. Seems like it would be much more water than that but it does make you see how dry the Earth actually is!
Edwin Lesperance 6 years ago
A door? At the bottom of the Marianas Trench, Challenger Deep? And James Cameron won't say??? Hollow Earth anyone?
Abinico Arts 6 years ago
What do I think? I think some of them creatures need serious dental work.
Jovy Jergens 6 years ago
Always (fancifully) wondered whether Aliens lived on earth and, if so, would it be in the hidden depths of the deepest oceans where no human knows what the heck is going on.
Anna Salerno 6 years ago
The only part of the ocean I like is the clear blue waters of the Caribbean and the beach!
seno aditya 6 years ago
"And if all trees on earth become writing tool, all sea water to become the ink, it shant able to write down the whole God's knowledges.."
Matthew Hyder 6 years ago
I'm surprised xcdc still makes stuff by the way, his webcomic stuff is kind of... different. :p P.S. "F**k Grapefruit"
Kristi Zoebelein 6 years ago
Looks like it's from The Oatmeal. That's the font he always uses, that's kinda the point. It's silly and informative at the same time. Hence the jokes you can find throughout.
Load More Replies...
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