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 and has an approximated maximum depth of 5,962 to 6,020 fathoms (10,903 to 11,009 m; 35,772 to 36,120 ft) below sea level. A 2011 study placed the depth at 5,971 ± 5 fathoms (10,920 ± 9 m; 35,826 ± 30 ft) with a 2021 study revising the value to 10,935 ± 6 m (35,876 ± 20 ft) at a 95% confidence level. 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. The first descent by any vehicle was conducted by the United States Navy using the bathyscaphe Trieste in January 1960. As of July 2022, there were 27 people who have descended to the Challenger Deep.