Abyss / hydrographic atlas 04
Station 04 / 41° 12′ N
2,860 m

Bathymetry / the unseen

The map
beneath
the map.

Below the last measurable light, the seafloor is still a landscape: ridges, plains, a trench that could swallow a mountain range. We chart it with sound, patience and a very small submersible.

2,860metres
below sea level
Water columnMidnight
0 m / surface4,200 m / abyss
Sheet 04 — Rainier Seamount & the TrenchScale 1:240,000
41° 20′ N 41° 04′ N 05° 02′ E RAINIER SEAMOUNT THE TRENCH
DSV-04 / 2,860 m
10 kmContours at 250 m · last survey 09.2026
0 — 200 m

Sunlight

Enough light for photosynthesis. Reefs, kelp, the busy bright edge of everything.

18 — 24°C
200 — 1,000 m

Twilight

Lanternfish rise each night. The last blue, and a great many shadows.

6 — 12°C
1,000 — 4,000 m

Midnight

No sunlight at all. Anglerfish, gulper eels, and light made by the inhabitants.

2 — 4°C
4,000 — 6,000 m

Abyss

Cold, quiet plains of sediment. Sea cucumbers and the slowest possible time.

1 — 2°C