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The ocean always holds numerous mysteries, with up to 95% of it still awaiting exploration. Among them, the world's deepest sea regions are considered to harbor the most surprising secrets.
1. Mariana Trench: 11,034 m
The Mariana Trench, also known as Mariabena Trench or Mariana Trough, stands as the deepest ocean trench on Earth. Situated in the Northwest Pacific region, east of the Mariana Islands, the trench stretches approximately 2,550 km from Mariana Islands to near Japan. Its width is relatively modest, measuring about 69 km.
The deepest point, with coordinates 11°21′ North and 142°12′ East, is named Challenger. It pays homage to the Royal Navy ship Challenger II, the first expedition to discover the trench's deepest point in 1951.
In June 2020, scientists utilized the most advanced deep-sea diving equipment to measure this trench's depth. Using the Simrad EM120 underwater positioning system with sonar waves, they determined the Mariana Trench's maximum depth to be 10,935m (almost 11km).
2. Tonga Trench: 10,882 m
The Tonga Trench is an ocean trench situated in the southwest Pacific. It holds the title of the deepest trench in the Southern Hemisphere and the second deepest on Earth. The trench's deepest point, named Horizon Deep at 23°15'30' South and 174°43'36' West, is named after the research ship Horizon from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, which discovered this depth in December 1952.
On June 5, 2019, the deep-sea submersible support vessel DSSV, equipped with the multi-beam sonar system Kongsberg SIMRAD EM124, embarked on an expedition to explore the deepest points of the world's five oceans. Subsequently, the vessel measured the Tonga Trench's deepest point at 10,882m using direct CTD pressure measurements.
3. Philippine Trench: 10,540 m
The third spot belongs to the Philippine Trench, located in the center of the Philippine Sea in the Pacific Ocean. Also known as the Mindanao Trench, it is situated near the eastern coast of Mindanao Island in the Philippines. The trench spans nearly 1,320km in length and approximately 30km in width, extending from the central Luzon Island to the northern Moluccas in Indonesia.
After being measured, the Philippine Trench's deepest point is recorded at 10,540m. Scientists estimate the trench to be around 8-9 million years old. It was first explored in 1927 by the German ship Emden.
4. Kuril-Kamchatka Trench: 10,500 m
The Kuril-Kamchatka Trench, also known as the Kuril Trench, stands as the fourth deepest point on Earth. This trench is the result of subsidence caused by the Kuril Archipelago's volcanic arc. Here, the Pacific Plate subducts beneath the Okhotsk Plate, leading to intense volcanic activities.
Located east of the Kamchatka Peninsula, the Kuril Islands, and Hokkaido Island, Japan, the trench stretches about 2,900 km north-south, with a maximum depth of 10,542m, covering a total area of 264,000 square kilometers.
5. Kermadec Trench: 10,047 m
The Kermadec Trench is a subsea trench beneath the South Pacific, over 1,000 km northeast of New Zealand. Extending over 1,000 km from the Louisville Seamount Chain in the north to the Hikurangi Plateau in the south, its deepest point, Scholl Deep, lies at a depth of 10,047m below sea level. Along with the Tonga Trench to the north, it forms the Kermadec-Tonga Subduction Zone, spanning nearly 2,000 km linearly.
6. Japan Trench: 9,000 m
The Japan Trench is an oceanic trench part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, situated on the northern seabed of the Pacific beyond the northeast coast of Japan. Extending from the offshore waters of Hokkaido to the Boso Peninsula in Chiba Province, east of Tokyo.
On August 11, 1989, the Shinkai 6500 submarine with a capacity for three people dove to a depth of 6,526m while exploring the Japan Trench. The trench's deepest point reaches approximately 9,000m.
7. Puerto Rico Trench: 8,605 m
Known as the deepest ocean trench in the Atlantic Ocean, the Puerto Rico Trench reaches depths of up to 8,800m and spans over 800 km. It is situated between Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, USA. The deepest point, known as Milwaukee Deep (also called Brownson Deep), lies at the western end of the trench. This area was first explored by the French explorer Archimède in 1964.
Source: NatGeo, Oceaninfo, Marineinsight
