5 of the World’s Deepest Places


Last week, we climbed thousands of miles to discover the highest places in the world. What if we took a time out to explore caves, lakes and other endless pits that hold world records of depth? The second installment of this three-part series will take us to places of unsuspected beauty, hidden deep beneath sea level, .

Marianas Trench – Challenger Deep

Off the coasts of China and Japan lies what could be considered the final frontier for divers: the Marianas Trench. This oceanic crack is just 43 miles wide, and about 1,580 miles long — but what makes it a world record holder is its depth. The Marianas Trench is the deepest part of the world with a known depth of 7 miles. Beyond that point, the pressure makes further exploration unbearable. If you are looking for a bottomless pit, this is it!

Bentley Subglacial Trench – Ellworth Mountains

Move aside Grand Canyon! British scientists have recently discovered a giant trench beneath the ice of West Antarctica. Tens of millions of years old, this subglacial valley extends over 15.5 miles and is almost a mile deeper than the Grand Canyon. Read more about the discovery of the deepest canyon in the world here.

Krubera Cave – Georgia

Outside of oceanic caves, the Georgian Krubera Cave is the deepest cave in the world. Also known as the Voronya Cave, it is the only known cave whose depth exceeds 7,000 miles. Many expeditions continue to explore it hoping to reach its bottom. The world record so far is at 7, 208 miles: will you be the one to break it?

TauTona Mine – South Africa

We know how far men will go to meet their craving for wealth and gold — just look at the American Gold Rush and the quest for El Dorado. But do you know how deep we can go? About 2.4 miles! That’s the depth of the TauTona gold mine in South Africa. So far, it’s the world’s deepest mine, only challenged by the Mponeng mine; already the most world’s prolific gold mine. Gold diggers, the line starts here!

Baikal Lake – Siberia

Not only is Baikal Lake the deepest lake in the world, it’s also the biggest freshwater reserve in the world. With a depth of 5,400 feet, it contains 20% of the unfrozen fresh surface water available on our little blue planet. Ancient, unspoiled, and picture-perfect, it is a fantastic sight to behold.

There goes our list of the deepest places in the world. Though they may not provide the picturesque views of the elevated destinations on our first list in the series, they are still well worth exploring. Do you know of any other underground sights worth exploring? Tell us more in the comments below.