As we were grimly reminded in June 2023, the deep ocean is an extreme and hostile environment. While humanity continues to map our place in the stars, we’ve struggled to understand our own home. As of May 2023, only 24.9% of the seafloor has been mapped.
This animated map from Esri uses some of the data humans have collected to map the deepest point in each ocean. At each stop, the map shifts to a 3D diorama of the seafloor at the deepest point. Factoids also appear, adding context about depth, date of discovery, and more.
The five deepest points are the following:
- Molloy Hole in the Arctic Ocean (5,550 meters deep)
- Java Trench in the Indian Ocean (7,192 meters deep)
- South Sandwich Trench in the Southern Ocean (7,434 meters deep)
- Puerto Rico Trench in the Atlantic Ocean (8,376 meters deep)
- Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean (10,935 meters deep)
Only 27 people in recorded human history have ever visited the deepest point on our planet. By contrast, more than 600 people have been into space. Maps can help us explore and better understand remote places like Challenger Deep.
Earth’s oceans play a key role in regulating the planet’s climate. But their capacity to absorb heat is not infinite. Mapping and understanding our oceans can help us better understand global climate patterns. It can provide important signals about climate change impacts. The more we know about the whole climate system on Earth, the better we can adapt.
More to Explore
- Take a deeper dive into ocean dioramas with an interactive version of this map.
- Learn more about how the animated map was created.
- Browse ocean data that’s already been collected through GEBCO.
- Check out the Seabed 2030 initiative from the UN to map the ocean floor by 2030.
