Roughly 70.9% of the Earth's surface is covered with seas, oceans, lakes, rivers, gulfs, streams, and other bodies of water. While oceans are known to be the deepest and biggest bodies of water, how deep can they go?
Deepest Oceans in the World
According to the World Atlas, the deepest point in the world is the Challenger Deep, which can be found in the western Pacific Ocean and at the Mariana Trench's southern end. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration notes that the Challenger Deep is roughly 10,935 meters deep.
Though the Challenger Deep boasts remarkable depth, oceans vary in terms of how deep they can go. The World Atlas adds that the average depth of the oceans is 3,688 meters.
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean takes the spot as the deepest ocean and body of water in the world, with its average depth going as deep as 4,280 meters and its maximum depth reaching up to 10,911 meters.
As mentioned earlier, the Pacific Ocean houses the deepest point in the world, the Challenged Deep. However, more than that, it also hosts the deepest point in the Southern Hemisphere, which is the Horizon Deep, which goes as deep as 10,823 meters.
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Indian Ocean
According to Brittanica, the Indian Ocean's average depth reaches 3,741 meters. Most of its basins have depths of 5,000 meters, while others, such as the Wharton Basin, go as deep as 6,000 meters. Its deepest point is the Sunda Deep of the Java Trench, which is 7,450 meters deep.
It is also considered the geologically youngest, physically most complex, and smallest ocean among the three major oceans in the world. Britannica adds that the Indian Ocean accounts for roughly one-fifth of the world's total ocean area. It spans over 10,000 kilometers and stretches from South Africa to Australia.
Atlantic Ocean
The average depth of the Atlantic Ocean, on the other hand, goes up to 3,646 meters. This makes it the third-deepest ocean in terms of average depth.
Its deepest point is the Puerto Rico Trench, situated close to the Caribbean Sea. According to NOAA, this point exceeds depths of 8,400 meters.
While the Atlantic Ocean may be the third-deepest one, it is the second-largest in terms of size. The Geography Realm reports that its area spans 106,460,000 square kilometers and takes up 20% of the planet's surface.
Southern Ocean
The Southern Ocean makes it to fourth place, having an average depth of 3,270 meters. Its deepest point is the South Sandwich Trench, which is 7,432 meters deep, the British Geological Survey reports.
According to the Central Intelligence Agency, the Southern Ocean's area spans 21.96 million square kilometers. This makes it slightly bigger than the double of the US's total size.
Arctic Ocean
Last on the list of the world's deepest oceans and the world's five major oceans is the Arctic Ocean. Compared to the others, the Arctic Ocean is relatively shallow, with its average depth reaching 1,204 meters.
The Molloy Hole, situated in the Fram Strait, is the deepest point of the Arctic Ocean. This point reaches 5,550 meters deep, Forbes reports.
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