What is the deepest known point in the ocean called?

Challenger Deep is the deepest known point in the ocean.

It lies in the Mariana Trench in the western Pacific Ocean, east of the Mariana Islands. Modern measurements place its greatest depth at roughly 10,900 metres, although the exact figure differs slightly among surveys, instruments, and reference standards. It is a deep depression rather than a single perfectly uniform point.

The name comes from HMS Challenger, whose nineteenth-century expedition made early depth measurements in the region. Later crewed and uncrewed vehicles returned with improved sonar data and direct observations.

Extreme pressure, near-freezing water, and complete darkness characterize the environment. Even so, microbes and specialized animals can live in the surrounding hadal zone. Challenger Deep is not the same as the entire Mariana Trench; it is the trench’s deepest known section.