16-Major Trenches of the World & Their Importance - General Knowledge for UPSC APPSC & IBPS Exams

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What is a Trench?

Trench: very deep, elongated cavity bordering a continent or an island arc; it forms when one tectonic plate slides beneath another. Ridge: underwater mountain range that criss-crosses the oceans and is formed by rising magma in a zone where two plates are moving apart.

Importance of Oceanic Trenches:

• The study of trenches also gives researchers insight into the novel and diverse adaptations of deep-sea organisms to their surroundings that may hold the key to biological and biomedical advances.
• Much of the world’s seismic activity, for example, takes place in subduction zones.
• Recent research has also revealed unexpectedly large amounts of carbon matter accumulating in trenches, which may suggest that these regions play a significant role in Earth’s climate.
• Helps in better understanding of earthquakes and geophysical processes, revise how scientists understand the global carbon cycle, provide avenues for biomedical research, and potentially contribute new insights into the evolution of life on earth.

	Name	Deepest point (km)	Ocean
1	Mariana Trench	11.0 km	Pacific Ocean (near Japan)
2	Philippine Trench	10.4 km	Pacific Ocean (near the Philippine islands)
3	Bonin Trench	9.99 km	Pacific Ocean (near Japan)
4	New Britain Trench	9.94 km	Pacific Ocean (near New Guinea)
5	Kuril Trench	9.75 km	Pacific Ocean (near Russia)

1. Mid-Indian Ridge: Mountain range in the middle of the Indian Ocean that separates the African and Australian-Indian plates.  Ridge about 7,000 mi long, located in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean; some of its mountains reach the surface, forming islands such as Iceland.
2. Southwest Indian Ridge: Ridge separating the African and Antarctic plates; it joins the Mid-Indian and Southeast Indian ridges off the coast of Madagascar.
3. Puerto Rico Trench: Trench located off the coast of Puerto Rico, on the boundary between the South American and Caribbean plates; it features the deepest point in the Atlantic Ocean (27,493 feet).
4. Peru-Chile Trench: Trench (26,460 feet) bordering South America; the world’s longest trench (3,700 mi), it is located on the boundary between the Nazca Plate and the South American Plate.
5. Pacific-Antarctic Ridge : Mountain range separating the Pacific and Antarctic plates; it joins the eastern Pacific Ridge off the coast of South America.
6. East Pacific Ridge: Ridge that marks the boundary between the Pacific and Cocos Islands plates to the north, and the Pacific and Nazca plates to the south.
7. Aleutian Trench: Trench (25,600 feet) extending from Alaska to the Kamchatka Peninsula; it results from the Pacific Plate sliding beneath the North American Plate.
8. North America: Its area (9.3 million mi2) represents about 16% of the world’s land; the Central American isthmus is an extension of North America.
9. Ryukyu Trench: Trench (24,629 feet) located near the Ryukyu Islands; it marks the boundary between the Philippine Plate and the Eurasian Plate.
10. Japan Trench : Trench (27,929 feet) located east of Japan, on the boundary between the Pacific Plate and the Eurasian Plate; this zone is marked by intense seismic activity.
11. Kuril Trench: Trench (34,587 feet) located northeast of Japan; it results from the Pacific Plate sliding beneath the Eurasian Plate.
12. Mariana Trench : Cavity located near the Mariana Islands, where the Pacific Plate and the Philippine Plate converge; it is the world’s deepest trench (about 36,000 feet).
13. Philippine Trench: Trench bordering the eastern Philippines, reaching depths of 34,578 feet; it results from the Philippine Plate sinking beneath the Eurasian Plate.
14. Kermadec-Tonga Trench : Cavity located north of New Zealand, where the Pacific Plate meets the Australian-Indian Plate; it reaches depths of 35,702 feet.
15. Southeast Indian Ridge: Ridge separating the Antarctic Plate from the Australian-Indian Plate; its topography is more regular than the topography of the Southwest Indian and Mid-Indian ridges.
16. Java Trench : Trench located south of Indonesia, between the Australian-Indian and the Eurasian Plates; it is the deepest point in the Indian Ocean (24,440 ft).