• Key Information

  • Mariana Trench

  • Type
    Oceanic Trench
  • Depth
    36,037 ft (Challenger Deep)
  • Length
    1,580 miles
  • Width
    43 miles
  • First Crewed Descent
    23 January, 1960 - Trieste (Don Walsh & Jacques Piccard)
  • Learning Point
  • As the deepest ocean trench on Earth, the Mariana Trench is formed by the collision of two of the Earth's tectonic plates. It has the deepest known place on Earth, called Challenger Deep, which has been descended into several times, the first being in 1960.
  • Project
  • Draw your own submarine to visit the Mariana Trench and Challenger Deep.
  • Location
  • Located in
    Pacific Ocean
  • Fun Facts
  • The deepest point of the Mariana Trench, Challenger Deep, is about 36,037 ft deep, though it is difficult to measure it accurately.
  • The Trieste was the first submersible to visit Challenger Deep, in January 1960, with Don Walsh and Jacques Piccard onboard.
  • 22 crewed descents have been made as of 2022, with Victor Vescovo the first person to dive more than once into the trench.
  • Fish have been obsersed as deep as 26,800 ft, with some one reported flatfish in the deepest part of the trench, though this hasn't been confirmed, and some don't believe can be possible.