Director James Cameron himself, after his numerous expeditions for his film, attested to never having seen anything other than personal belongings scattered here and there.
So, how can we explain that these objects have survived the test of time, while everything else hasn't?
The scientific reason: an extreme aquatic world that recycles everything.
The abysses of the North Atlantic form a unique universe: plunged into total darkness, biting cold, and crushing pressure. It is an environment radically different from the coastal waters we know.
In this context, natural processes follow unique rules. Scientists tell us that at depths of over 3,600 meters, biological activity is teeming. A multitude of marine microorganisms constantly work to decompose and recycle all organic matter, whatever its nature. This is the cycle of life in the deep sea, efficient and silent.
Even things we consider solid, like bones, eventually dissolve slowly in these waters with their unique chemical properties. This is the key to understanding why nothing durable has survived, while leather and ceramic items have withstood the decades.
To give a point of comparison, in seas with different conditions, such as certain areas of the Baltic Sea, remains can be preserved much longer. The North Atlantic, however, offers no such respite.
Personal effects: the last silent messengers
Personal belongings (shoes, suitcases) on the seabed near the Titanic
Where the physical traces of the passengers have naturally disappeared, their belongings continue to whisper their story. In what is known as the "debris field," a vast area surrounding the main wreck, a multitude of artifacts can be found: pairs of shoes, briefcases, fine china, clothing buttons.
