World Wonders - Mariana Trench

"Mariana Trench

The Mariana Trench is the deepest part of the world's oceans, and the lowest elevation of the surface of the Earth's crust. It is located in the western Pacific Ocean, to the east of the Mariana Islands. The trench is about 2,550 kilometers (1,580 mi) long but has a mean width of only 69 kilometers (43 mi). It reaches a maximum-known depth of about 11.03 kilometers (6.85 mi) at the Vityaz-1 Deep and about 10.91 kilometers (6.78 mi) at the Challenger Deep, a small slot-shaped valley in its floor, at its southern end."