All trenches
PacificSubduction trench
Kuril–Kamchatka Trench
Northwest Pacific, off Kamchatka and the Kuril Islands
A long subduction trench feeding the volcanic Kuril arc and Kamchatka peninsula.
Max depth
9,600 m
Length
2,100 km
Deepest point
Southern segment
First explored
1953
Timeline
Exploration
- 1953Soviet vessel Vityaz maps the trench.
- 2016KuramBio II biodiversity expedition.
Abyssal fauna
Life at pressure
SnailfishIsopodsBrittle starsGlass sponges
Nutrient-rich subarctic waters support unusually dense hadal fauna.
Science
Scientific facts
- Source of the 1952 M9.0 Kamchatka earthquake.
- Cold water from the Sea of Okhotsk ventilates the trench.
Seafloor geology
Rock & structure
- Volcaniclastic sediments
- Oceanic basalt
- Diatomaceous ooze