Challenger Deep

The Challenger Deep is the deepest known point of the seabed of Earth, located in the western Pacific Ocean at the southern end of the Mariana Trench, in the ocean territory of the Federated States of Micronesia.

The GEBCO Gazetteer of Undersea Feature Names indicates that the feature is situated at 11°22.4′N 142°35.5′E / 11.3733°N 142.5917°E / 11.3733; 142.5917 and has a maximum depth of 10,920 ± 10 m (35,827 ± 33 ft) below sea level.^[1] A subsequent study revised the value to 10,935 ± 6 m (35,876 ± 20 ft) at a 95% confidence interval).^[2] However, both the precise geographic location and depth remain ambiguous, with contemporary measurements ranging from 10,903 to 11,009 m (35,771 to 36,119 ft).^[3]

The depression is named after the British Royal Navy survey ships HMS Challenger, whose expedition of 1872–1876 first located it, and HMS Challenger II, whose expedition of 1950–1952 established its record-setting depth.^[4] The first descent by any vehicle was by the bathyscaphe Trieste in January 1960. In March 2012, a solo descent was made by film director James Cameron in the deep-submergence vehicle Deepsea Challenger.^[5][6][7] As of July 2022^[update], there were 27 people who have descended to Challenger Deep.