Journey to Challenger Deep

Archival Content Notice: This post was published in 2022 and may contain outdated information. It may not reflect current library services or accessibility standards. If you need assistance accessing this content, please contact UC Libraries.
Archival Content Notice: This post was published in 2022 and may contain outdated information. If you need assistance accessing this content, please contact UC Libraries.

Have you ever wondered what it really looks like at the bottom of the ocean? Few people in the world can answer this question, and Dr. Dawn Wright (@deepseadawn) is one of them. In the summer of 2022, she ventured to the deepest point on Planet Earth known as Challenger Deep in a two-person submersible. Through this historic journey, Dr. Wright became the first Black person and only the fifth woman to travel so deep in the ocean. The purpose of the journey was to collect data to add to the efforts to map the entire ocean floor. Currently, researchers have only mapped 24% of the ocean floor.

To learn about the journey and Dr. Wright, visit the Geology-Mathematics-Physics Library, 240 Braunstein Hall, and explore the exhibit on the expedition and Dr. Wright.

 a diorama of Challenge Deep, the deepest point in the ocean.

A representation of the depth of Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench by John Nelson