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Undersea Canyon
James Alden discovers the first known submarine valley, California's Monterey Canyon. https://www.nationalgeographic.org/media/ocean-exploration-timeline/ -
Early Marine Survey of the Americas
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/media/ocean-exploration-timeline/ Naturalist Louis Agassiz steams from the U.S. East Coast to its West Coast around South America, collecting some 30,000 marine specimens. -
First Acoustic Exploration of the Seas
Reginald Fessenden uses an oscillator to bounce a signal simultaneously off an iceberg and the seafloor, the first acoustic exploration of the seas. https://www.nationalgeographic.org/media/ocean-exploration-timeline/#top -
Studying the Mid-Atlantic Ridge
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/media/ocean-exploration-timeline/#top The German Meteor expedition surveys the South Atlantic with echo sounders, proving the continuity of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. -
Discovery of Magnetic Striping on Ocean Floor:
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/media/ocean-exploration-timeline/#top The U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey ship Pioneer, in a joint project with the U.S. Navy and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, tow the first marine magnetometer and finds magnetic striping on the seafloor off the West Coast. The discovery adds a key element to the theory of plate tectonics. -
The Trieste Explores the Mariana Trench
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/media/ocean-exploration-timeline/#top he bathyscaphe Trieste dives to what was believed to be the deepest point in the Mariana Trench, recording a depth of 10,912 meters (35,800 feet). Exploring the same area in 1998, a Japanese research vessel measured depth of 10,938 meters (35,886 feet). -
Sylvia Earle with Algae
Dr. Sylvia Earle shows algae to an engineer through the window of the Project Tektite II habitat. https://www.nationalgeographic.org/media/ocean-exploration-timeline/#top -
Giant tube worms
Crushing pressure, freezing temperatures, and zero sunlight isn't enough of a challenge for giant tube worms. They've adapted to thrive at the edge of hydrothermal vents, which spew superheated water saturated with toxic chemicals. https://www.nationalgeographic.org/media/ocean-exploration-timeline/#top -
The Discovery of the Sunken Titanic
A research team led by Robert Ballard discovers the Titanic more than 3,810 meters (12,500 feet) down, the most famous shipwreck in modern history https://www.nationalgeographic.org/media/ocean-exploration-timeline/#top -
Sunken Titanic
The location of the sunken R.M.S. Titanic was discovered in 1985 by Robert Ballard. https://www.nationalgeographic.org/media/ocean-exploration-timeline/#top
