The Institute of Geology and Geophysics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IGGCAS) completed two 10,000-meter-deep marine artificial seismic profile data acquisitions with its Chinese-made Ocean Bottom Seismometers (OBS) at the bottom of the Mariana Trench on February 28, 2017, and China has become the world's first country to acquire 10,000-meter-deep marine artificial seismic profile data, Xinhua News Agency reported on Sunday.

The breakthrough was achieved by Tansuo-1, which reportedly placed 60 OBS in the Trench area with 56 of them successfully retrieved. The maximum depth reached by the 56 reclaimed OBS was said to be 10,027 meters.

According to experts, OBS play a vital role in oceanic survey. The devices record the earth's motion under oceans thus providing information for the deep structure of the earth's crust and upper mantle in offshore areas.

After 20 years of efforts, China has caught up with Japan, becoming the second country in the world to develop capabilities to take such measurements at depths of over 10,000 meters under the ocean.

On January 15, 2017, the Shenyuan deep-sea expedition team of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), on board the Tansuo-1 scientific research ship, set sail from Sanya in Hainan Province for the Mariana Trench and Yap Trench, aiming at carrying out deep-sea scientific exploration and testing of high-tech equipment. The team remains in Mariana Trench for further deep-water challenges. (CRIENGLISH.com)