Ocean Trench Depth Comparison (Maximum Meters)
Compare 10 ocean trench maximum depths in meters: Mariana 10911, Tonga 10800, Philippine 10540, Puerto Rico 8380, Java 7290, with NOAA expedition paper sources.
Visual comparison
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| Name | Value | Context | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mariana Trench, Challenger Deep Modern pressure work reports 10935 m. Uses 10911 for Trieste consistency. | 10,911 m (35,797.2 ft) | Western Pacific, southwest of Guam, deepest point in world oceans | JAMSTEC GODAC newsletter: 10,911 m; NOAA linked work: 10,935 m |
| Tonga Trench, Horizon Deep 2019 crewed descent measured 10823 m. Traditional figure 10800. | 10,800 m (35,433.1 ft) | South Pacific, deepest point in Southern Hemisphere | Classic charts: 10,800 m; Five Deeps press release Jun 2019: 10,823 m |
| Japan Trench Older lists print 9000 or 8412 m. Current figure 8020 m. | 8,020 m (26,312.3 ft) | East of Japan, where Pacific Plate subducts | Japan MOE EBSA page 303; JAMSTEC GODAC newsletter: 8,020 m |
| Izu-Ogasawara Trench (Izu-Bonin) Also called Izu-Bonin Trench. Figure from sonar mapping. | 9,780 m (32,086.6 ft) | South of Japan, continuation to Mariana system | JAMSTEC GODAC newsletter: 9,780 m |
| Kuril-Kamchatka Trench Older lists print 10542 m. Current consensus 9600 m. | 9,600 m (31,496.1 ft) | Northwest Pacific, off Kamchatka and Kuril Islands | Peer reviewed papers summary: maximum depth 9,600 m |
| Puerto Rico Trench, Milwaukee Deep Direct measurement 8376 m in 2018. Brownson Deep is precise point. | 8,380 m (27,493.4 ft) | Atlantic Ocean, north of Puerto Rico, deepest in Atlantic | Britannica Milwaukee Depth: 8,380 m; Five Deeps paper: 8,376 m |
| South Sandwich Trench, Factorian Deep Meteor Deep to the north reaches 8265 m. Only subzero hadal zone. | 7,434 m (24,389.8 ft) | South Atlantic to Southern Ocean, deepest point south of 60S | Five Deeps data paper Bongiovanni et al: 7,434 m direct |
| Java Trench (Sunda Trench), Sunda Deep 2019 direct work found 7192 m at visited point. Keeps 7290 chart max. | 7,290 m (23,917.3 ft) | Eastern Indian Ocean, south of Java, deepest in Indian Ocean by charts | Stewart and Jamieson 2019 The five deeps: 7,290 m |
| Peru-Chile Trench (Atacama Trench), Richards Deep About 5,900 km long, mean width 64 km. | 8,065 m (26,460 ft) | Eastern Pacific, about 160 km off Peru and Chile | Britannica Peru-Chile Trench: 8,065 m Richards Deep |
| Philippine Trench, Emden Deep First crewed descent Mar 2021. 10045 m figure belongs to Kermadec. | 10,540 m (34,580.1 ft) | Western Pacific, east of Philippines, third deepest by classic ranking | UP Marine Science Institute news Mar 2021: 10,540 m |
About this converter
Ocean trench maximum depths run from 7,290 to 10,911 meters here, which makes every ocean easy to compare. The Java Trench reaches 7,290 meters by charts, while Challenger Deep reads 10,911. That means one Mariana equals 1.5 Javas. Every figure on this page is a maximum depth below sea level from NOAA linked work, GEBCO charts, JAMSTEC mapping and expedition papers. Method matters: ship sonar and seafloor pressure sensors can differ by tens of meters, so recent expeditions report uncertainty ranges. Challenger Deep uses 10,911 to match the Trieste row, while modern pressure work reports 10,935.
How to use it
Pick two trenches and a unit in the top row. The three boxes below stay linked: one holds a count of the first depth, one the matching count of the second, one the depth in the chosen unit. Change any box and the other two update. Try 1 Mariana against 1 Java to feel the deepest versus shallowest gap, or stack Puerto Ricos against Tonga.
Pacific leads with Mariana 10,911 and Tonga 10,800, the Southern Hemisphere deepest. Atlantic peaks at Puerto Rico 8,380 with a direct 8,376 reading in 2018. Indian charts peak at Java 7,290 though 2019 direct work found 7,192 at the visited point. The Southern Ocean point is Factorian Deep at 7,434, while Meteor Deep to the north reaches 8,265. Older books print Kuril-Kamchatka 10,542 and Japan 9,000, but modern mapping gives 9,600 and 8,020.
FAQ
Why does Challenger Deep have two numbers, 10911 m and 10935 m?
The numbers come from different methods and years. The 10911 m figure comes from older soundings and early multibeam charts. The 10935 m figure comes from 2020 submersible pressure profiles with modern corrections. This set keeps 10911 m to match the Trieste row and notes the newer figure.
What is the difference between sonar depth and direct measurement?
Sonar depth comes from multibeam echo sounders on ships. Direct measurement comes from pressure sensors on landers or submersibles at the seafloor. Direct figures often include small uncertainty ranges.
Which trench is deepest in each ocean in this set?
Pacific: Mariana at 10911 m in this set, with Tonga next at 10800 m. Atlantic: Puerto Rico at 8380 m. Indian: Java at 7290 m by charts, with 7192 m by 2019 direct work. Southern Ocean portion: South Sandwich Factorian Deep at 7434 m.
Why do older books list Kuril-Kamchatka at 10542 m and Japan at 9000 m?
Older echo soundings were less precise and used early sound speed tables. Modern multibeam mapping and peer review place Kuril-Kamchatka at 9600 m and Japan Trench at 8020 m. This set uses the modern figures with notes on the older values.
Sources
- NOAA Ocean Service How deep is the ocean page; Greenaway et al 2021 Deep Sea Research Part I; JAMSTEC GODAC newsletter
- Bongiovanni et al high resolution multibeam paper (Five Deeps); Stewart and Jamieson 2019 The five deeps
- JAMSTEC and Japan MOE EBSA page 303 (Japan region); Britannica (Peru-Chile); UP Marine Science Institute (Emden Deep)
Last verified: 2026-10-04 · 10 entries
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