Unexplored places

 Every sci-fi fan knows that space is the final frontier. But not so fast: It turns out there are still a few places right here on Earth that we haven’t fully explored yet. But it's not from a lack of trying. So what secrets do these legendary locations hold for us? Here’s a look at the final frontiers of Earth that are still unexplored.

 

Gangkhar Puensum

An impressive peak on the border of Tibet and Bhutan, Gangkhar Puensum is the 40th-highest-mountain in the world. But so far, no human has managed to reach the summit. In 1986, a team from Britain a tempted the climb but were forced to turn back, one of four failed attempts to reach the top. Since then, nobody has been allowed to even attempt the climb, as the government in Bhutan, which considers the peak sacred, banned mountain climbing. And those who did arrive at the lower reaches before the ban reported all sorts of strange phenomenon, including weird lights, ghostly figures, magnetic anomalies, and even Yeti. Until and unless the climbing ban is lifted, it seems like Gangkhar Puensum is destined to remain shrouded in mystery.

The Mariana Trench

Located east of the Philippines in the Pacific Ocean, the Mariana Trench is the deepest place on the entire planet. At a staggering 36,201 feet deep, the Mariana Trench is so deep, if Mount Everest were placed at the bottom, there would still be well over a mile of ocean above it. First discovered in the 19th century, the deepest part of the Mariana Trench was explored in 1960. And more recently, Hollywood director James Cameron launched an expedition to the bottom of the trench, capturing some amazing images of never-before-seen sea life. Still, those two voyages only covered a tiny portion of the vast Mariana Trench, which extends for over 1,500 miles along the ocean floor. Most of it remains completely unexplored. Who knows what else may lurk beneath the black waves?

 

Antarctica's sub glacial lakes

For decades, scientists have been fascinated by the existence of sub glacial lakes lurking deep beneath the ice in frozen Antarctica. While a handful of them have been explored, dozens of lakes are buried beneath thousands of feet of snow and ice, with scientists believing they haven't seen the light of day for millions of years. As a result, the lakes are believed to have their own unique ecosystem that may contain thousands of never-before-seen life forms, including prehistoric species that long ago died off everywhere else on Earth. And the Antarctic lakes may also provide key insight into possible sub-glacial water deposits and ecosystems elsewhere in the solar system, such as Jupiter's moon Europe, or on Saturn's moon Escalades. For now, scientists are trying to figure out the best way to research the lakes without contaminating or destroying them. But it's expected that by 2035, reaching the lakes will be much easier thanks to global warming destroying the Antarctic glacier.