Scale Explorer

Nature

How big is the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench?

Mariana Trench (Challenger Deep) · Challenger Deep, western Pacific Ocean

Depth of Challenger Deep
10,935–10,994 m 35,876–36,070 ft range
Length of the Mariana Trench
at least 2,550 km 1,580 mi approx.
Average width of the Mariana Trench
≈ 69 km 43 mi approx.
Show
Human, Mount Fuji, Mount Everest, Mariana Trench (Challenger Deep) drawn to the same scaleHuman: height 1.61–1.75 m (too small to see at this scale). Mount Fuji: height above sea level 3,776 m. Mount Everest: height above sea level 8,848.86 m. Mariana Trench (Challenger Deep): depth of challenger deep 10,935–10,994 m.Human: 1.61–1.75 m (too small to see at this scale)Mount Fuji: 3,776 mMount Everest: 8,848.86 mMariana Trench (Challenger Deep): 10,935–10,994 mMount Everest8,848.86 mMount Fuji3,776 mHuman1.61–1.75 m · too small to seeMariana Trench (Challenger Deep)10,935–10,994 m

Human is too small to see at this scale and is marked with ▲.

Everything is drawn to the same scale, standing on the same ground line. Silhouettes are simplified outlines scaled to the measured dimension. A faded outline shows the top of a size range.

Compare Mariana Trench (Challenger Deep) with something else →

Zoom out from an average adult to the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench

The Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench is too big to show next to an average adult in one picture, so here it is in 4 steps. Each step is drawn to its own scale and zooms out from the step before.

  1. Step 1 of 4 Human → Megalodon

    A megalodon is about 8.6–15 times as long as an average adult is tall.

    Human, Megalodon drawn to the same scaleHuman: height 1.61–1.75 m. Megalodon: maximum length (estimates) 15–24.3 m.Human: 1.61–1.75 mMegalodon: 15–24.3 mMegalodon15–24.3 mHuman1.61–1.75 m
    Step 1: Human and Megalodon at the same scale.

  2. Step 2 of 4 Megalodon → Great Pyramid of Giza

    The Great Pyramid of Giza is about 5.6–9.1 times as tall as a megalodon is long.

    Megalodon, Great Pyramid of Giza drawn to the same scaleMegalodon: maximum length (estimates) 15–24.3 m. Great Pyramid of Giza: current height ≈ 137 m.Megalodon: 15–24.3 mGreat Pyramid of Giza: ≈ 137 mGreat Pyramid of Giza≈ 137 mMegalodon15–24.3 m
    Step 2: Megalodon and Great Pyramid of Giza at the same scale.

  3. Step 3 of 4 Great Pyramid of Giza → Golden Gate Bridge

    The Golden Gate Bridge is about 20 times as long as the Great Pyramid of Giza is tall.

    Great Pyramid of Giza, Golden Gate Bridge drawn to the same scaleGreat Pyramid of Giza: current height ≈ 137 m. Golden Gate Bridge: total length 2,737 m.Great Pyramid of Giza: ≈ 137 mGolden Gate Bridge: 2,737 mGolden Gate Bridge2,737 mGreat Pyramid of Giza≈ 137 m
    Step 3: Great Pyramid of Giza and Golden Gate Bridge at the same scale.

  4. Step 4 of 4 Golden Gate Bridge → Mariana Trench (Challenger Deep)

    The Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench is about 4 times as deep as the Golden Gate Bridge is long.

    Golden Gate Bridge, Mariana Trench (Challenger Deep) drawn to the same scaleGolden Gate Bridge: total length 2,737 m. Mariana Trench (Challenger Deep): depth of challenger deep 10,935–10,994 m.Golden Gate Bridge: 2,737 mMariana Trench (Challenger Deep): 10,935–10,994 mGolden Gate Bridge2,737 mMariana Trench (Challenger Deep)10,935–10,994 m
    Step 4: Golden Gate Bridge and Mariana Trench (Challenger Deep) at the same scale.

Dimensions

MeasurementMetricImperialNotesSource
Depth of Challenger Deep 10,935–10,994 m 35,876–36,070 ft Depth below sea level of the deepest point: 10,935 m (plus or minus 6 m) from June 2020 submersible dives, and 10,994 m (plus or minus 40 m) from a 2010 University of New Hampshire multibeam sonar survey. Range: varies [2] [3] [1]
Length of the Mariana Trench at least 2,550 km at least 1,580 mi NCEI says 'more than 1,500 miles (2,550 kilometers) long'. Approximate [3]
Average width of the Mariana Trench ≈ 69 km ≈ 43 mi Average width (43 miles). Approximate [3]

About the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench

The Challenger Deep, at the southern end of the Mariana Trench in the western Pacific, is the deepest known point in the ocean. Modern measurements put it at about 10.9 to 11.0 km below sea level: a 2010 sonar survey found 10,994 m (plus or minus 40 m), while a 2020 study using submersible dives found 10,935 m (plus or minus 6 m). The trench itself is a crescent-shaped scar in Earth's crust more than 2,550 km long.

  • NOAA Ocean Service gives the Challenger Deep as approximately 10,935 m (35,876 ft) deep. [1]
  • The deep is named after HMS Challenger, whose crew first sounded the trench in 1875. Using a weighted rope, that expedition recorded 4,475 fathoms (8,184 m). [1] [3]
  • The trench lies several hundred kilometres southwest of the U.S. territory of Guam. [1]
  • In 2012 film director James Cameron made a solo dive to the bottom of the Challenger Deep in the submersible DEEPSEA CHALLENGER. [3]

How many fit?

  • ≈ 6,500 × Human · height lined up end to end match the Mariana Trench (Challenger Deep) · depth of challenger deep
  • ≈ 20 × One World Trade Center · height (architectural) lined up end to end match the Mariana Trench (Challenger Deep) · depth of challenger deep

Counts divide one sourced figure by another. "End to end" uses each object's main measurement; weight and volume rows appear only when both figures are sourced.

How it compares

  • 6,500× The Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench is about 6,500 times as deep as an average adult is tall. See side by side
  • 20× The Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench is about 20 times as deep as One World Trade Center is tall. See side by side
  • 13× The Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench is about 13 times as deep as the Burj Khalifa is tall. See side by side
  • 4× The Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench is about 4 times as deep as the Golden Gate Bridge is long. See side by side
  • 2.9× The Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench is about 2.9 times as deep as Mount Fuji is tall. See side by side
  • 1.2× The Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench is about 1.2 times as deep as Mount Everest is tall. See side by side

Factors compare the depth of challenger deep of the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench with each object’s own main measurement (height for a human). Where a size varies, the factor is given as a range.

Notes on these figures

  • The depth range spans two modern measurements with different methods: the 2020 pressure-referenced submersible figure (10,935 m, plus or minus 6 m at 95% confidence), which NOAA Ocean Service now uses, and the 2010 multibeam sonar figure (10,994 m, plus or minus 40 m) quoted by NCEI.
  • The NOAA repository PDF of the 2021 paper refused automated download, so the 2020 figure was read from the paper's abstract on the repository page.
  • Only the depth is to scale; the trench outline is illustrative.

Sources

  1. NOAA National Ocean Service, How deep is the ocean?. Accessed 25 September 2026.
  2. NOAA Institutional Repository (Deep Sea Research Part I, 2021), Greenaway et al., Revised depth of the Challenger Deep from submersible transects; including a general method for precise, pressure-derived depths in the ocean. Accessed 25 September 2026.
  3. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Planet Postcard: The Mariana Trench. Accessed 25 September 2026.

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