The remains of Titanic rest at the end of Cameron Canyon (named not after the famous filmmaker James, but after Canadian scientific researcher Harky Cameron) descending from the Newfoundland Ridge to an abyssal plain about 2.5 miles below the ocean surface. The canyon floor is covered by sediment debris and slumps transitioning into the Titanic Sediment Wave Field, a large muddy plain, characterized by dunes, sand ribbons and sheets, formed by strong underwater currents moving through the area. These currents are probably also the reason why the debris from the sinking ship is scattered over such a large area. From Geotechnical Investigation of the Titanic Wreck Site: 'During the 1998 Titanic Science Expedition, a single sediment sample was retrieved from the seafloor (depth 20–30 cm) near the wreck by the deep water submersible, Nautile. Published geological studies suggest the seafloor in this area has remained largely undisturbed since 1912. Geotechnical analysis of the sediment sample reveals that the impact was probably a substantially undrained event and that the characteristic undrained shear strength of the sediment is ∼25kPa within 10–16 m below the seafloor. A simple analytical model was used to calculate the embedment of a cuboid with dimensions and mass of the water-filled bow as a function of impact velocity, impact angle, and the undrained shear strength of the sediment. The results indicate the impossibility of a steep angle of impact and fast velocity. The most likely scenario is an impact velocity of 5–10 m/s at a fairly shallow angle (<40°), which corroborates the results of hydrodynamic investigations.' This suggests Titanic was traveling at 11-22 mph at less than a 40° angle when it plowed into the sea bed.
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