What is an ocean trench?
Q: What is an ocean trench?
A: An ocean trench is a long, narrow feature on the ocean floor caused when an oceanic crustal plate slides under a lighter continental plate or another oceanic plate.
Q: How are trenches formed?
A: Trenches are typically caused by subduction, which is when one plate slides under another. This process works by density.
Q: How deep can an ocean trench be?
A: Ocean trenches can be 1,500 miles (2,400 km) long, several miles deep and as much as 70 miles (112 km) wide. The deepest known spot in any ocean is the Challenger Deep of the Mariana Trench at 11,034 m (36,201 ft) below sea level.
Q: What type of activity occurs in trenches?
A: Trenches are active with earthquakes and resulting tsunamis. Most volcanism associated with trenches occurs on the continent rather than on the sea floor.
Q: Are there any notable examples of trenches around the world?
A: Yes, some notable examples include the South Sandwich Trench between South America and Antarctica; the Peru-Chile Trench; and the Aleutian Trench near Guam where Pacific Plate descends under Eurasian Plate - this trench has been measured at 36,201 feet - over 6.8 miles (11 km) deep!
Q: Who reached bottom of Mariana Trench in 1960? A: Two men in a bathyscaph Trieste reached bottom of Mariana Trench in 1960.
