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The Mariana Trench runs south from central Japan, to the east of the Philippines. It's north end is a few hundred miles south of the point where the current severe earthquake activity is happening in Japan and it stretches about 1500 miles in an arc, curving east in a half-moon and southwards where the Pacific Plate dives below the Mariana Plate which holds the Mariana island arc. It's then another 1000 miles and more south to Papua-New Guinea.

Because the plates are thick at this point, the Pacific plate dive a long way down to go under the Mariana Plate and the trench is the deepest place you can reach without drilling holes - it's nearly 36,000 feet deep, which is deeper than Everest is above sea level.

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14y ago

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