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deep-sea trench Article

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Below is the article summary. For the full article, see deep-sea trench.

deep-sea trench, or oceanic trench, Any long, narrow, steep-sided depression in the ocean bottom in which maximum oceanic depths (24,000–36,000 ft, or 7,000–11,000 m) occur. The deepest known depression of this kind is the Mariana Trench. Most trenches occur at subduction zones, where one tectonic plate is thrust under another.