Mariana Trench Marine National Monument

Mariana Trench Marine National Monument is a protected marine site in the Northern Mariana Islands. Covering 95,216 sq mi, the national monument was proclaimed on 6 January, 2009, by President George W. Bush.

The Mariana Trench Marine National Monument comprises submerged lands and waters of the Mariana Archipelago, consisting of three units namely the Islands Unit, Volcanic Unit and Trench Unit.

Hirondellea gigas, an amphipod at 10,900m depth in the Mariana Trench
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hirondellea_gigas.jpg
Author: OpenCage, Lycaon


The Islands Unit is managed by the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. It includes the waters and submerged lands of the three northernmost Mariana Islands namely Farallon de Pajaros or Uracas, Maug and Asuncion. Within the Islands Unit is a rich diversity of marine life inhabiting the reefs. This site has one of the most diverse collections of stony corals in the Western Pacific.

The Volcanic Unit preserves the string of twenty submarine mud volcanoes and thermal vents. These inhospitable environment supports extraordinary life forms including species that survive in the midst of the hydrothermal vents.

The Trench Unit has the deepest point on earth. It is deeper than the height of Mount Everest and five times the length of the Grand Canyon.

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