What is the deepest trench in the world?

The Marianas Trench is recognized as the deepest trench in the world, reaching a maximum known depth of about 36,000 feet (10,972 meters). This trench is located in the western Pacific Ocean, east of the Mariana Islands. It is a significant geological feature formed by the process of subduction, where one tectonic plate moves under another and sinks into the mantle.

Challenger Deep is actually a part of the Marianas Trench and is noted for being the deepest point within it. Thus, while Challenger Deep is the specific location within the trench that holds the record for depth, the Marianas Trench encompasses this point and is generally referred to as the deepest trench as a whole.

The other trenches listed, including the Puerto Rico Trench and the Sunda Trench, are significant but do not reach the extreme depths of the Marianas Trench. The Puerto Rico Trench is the deepest point in the Atlantic Ocean, and the Sunda Trench is located in the Indian Ocean, but both are shallower than the Marianas Trench.