During an expedition in 2012 we recovered sediment, water, and biological samples from the inner slope of the Mariana Trench using a lander equipped with cameras, three twenty-liter Niskin bottles, a baited net trap, and a pressure calibrated depth sensor. Images and samples collected from the 10,677 m drop site reveal filamentous structures covering both talus and outcrop, which we cautiously identify as a microbial mat community. Analyses of retrieved sediments and images of the outcrop indicate that serpentinization of exposed ultramafic rock may be the source of the chemical energy needed to sustain this ecosystem. If true, this is the deepest known such community to be identified in Earth's ocean.

在2012年的一次探险中，我们使用配备了摄像头，三个20升Niskin瓶，一个诱饵网阱和一个压力校准深度传感器的着陆器，从马里亚纳海沟内坡上回收了沉积物，水和生物样品。从10,677 m坠落地点收集的图像和样本显示出覆盖距骨和露头的丝状结构，我们谨慎地将其识别为微生物垫群落。对回收的沉积物和露头图像的分析表明，裸露的超镁铁质岩石的蛇纹石化可能是维持该生态系统所需化学能的来源。如果为真，那么这是在地球海洋中最深的已知此类社区。