Oceanic trench
An oceanic trench is like a very big and very deep hole in the bottom of the ocean. It's so deep that it's like a really tall mountain turned upside down and put in the water.
Scientists think that oceanic trenches are formed when one tectonic plate (which is like a big piece of the Earth's crust that floats on molten rock) gets pushed under another tectonic plate. This is called subduction, and when it happens, it causes earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and even tsunamis.
One of the most famous oceanic trenches is the Mariana Trench, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It's more than 36,000 feet deep, which is almost seven miles! That's so deep that you could stack Mount Everest, the highest mountain on Earth, inside it and still have room left over!
Because they're so deep and so hard to get to, scientists are still learning a lot about oceanic trenches and the creatures that live in them. It's like exploring a whole new world that we still don't know very much about!
Scientists think that oceanic trenches are formed when one tectonic plate (which is like a big piece of the Earth's crust that floats on molten rock) gets pushed under another tectonic plate. This is called subduction, and when it happens, it causes earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and even tsunamis.
One of the most famous oceanic trenches is the Mariana Trench, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It's more than 36,000 feet deep, which is almost seven miles! That's so deep that you could stack Mount Everest, the highest mountain on Earth, inside it and still have room left over!
Because they're so deep and so hard to get to, scientists are still learning a lot about oceanic trenches and the creatures that live in them. It's like exploring a whole new world that we still don't know very much about!
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