The Challenger Deep reference article from the English Wikipedia on 24-Jul-2004 (provided by Fixed Reference: snapshots of Wikipedia from wikipedia.org)

Challenger Deep

The Challenger Deep is the deepest known point in the oceans, 11,034 metres (36,210 feet) deep at its maximum, near 11° 22'N 142° 36'E.

It is in the Pacific Ocean, off the island of Guam in the Mariana Islands group at the southern end of the Mariana Trench.

The Challenger Deep got its named after the survey ship Challenger II, which was surveying the trench in 1951. In 1960, the US Navy Bathyscaphe Trieste descended to 10,916 metres (35,813 feet) deep in the trench.

The 10,923 metres (35,838 feet) measurement was taken in 1984 by a Japanese survey vessel using a narrow, multi-beam echo sounder.

This is the "Challenger Deep" reference article from the English Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.