The Bentley Subglacial Trench is a vast topographic

trench A trench is a type of digging, excavation or depression in the ground that is generally deeper than it is wide (as opposed to a swale (landform), swale or a bar ditch), and narrow compared with its length (as opposed to a simple hole or trapping ...

Marie Byrd Land Marie Byrd Land (MBL) is an unclaimed region of Antarctica. With an area of , it is the largest unclaimed territory on Earth. It was named after the wife of American naval officer Richard E. Byrd, who explored the region in the early 20th centu ...

, West Antarctica, 80°S, 115°W. At 2,555 meters (8,382 ft) below

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an mean, average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal Body of water, bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical ...

, it (along with the deepest points within the adjacent Byrd Subglacial Basin) is among the lowest points on the surface of the Earth not covered by ocean, although it is covered by ice. (See Extremes on Earth and

Vestfold Hills The Vestfold Hills are rounded, rocky, coastal hills, in extent, on the north side of Sorsdal Glacier on the Ingrid Christensen Coast of Princess Elizabeth Land, Antarctica. The hills are subdivided by three west-trending peninsulas bounded by n ...

). The trench was named in 1961 after Charles R. Bentley, who was the geophysicist in charge of the scientific expeditions in West Antarctica in 1957–59 that led to its discovery. In 2016, some hot anomalies were detected beneath Bentley Subglacial Trench and Mount Sidley volcano.AGUPublications

Notes

References

* Central Intelligence Agency, World Factbook

Retrieved 28 October 2008. * AGUPublications

Retrieved 4 October 2017.

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See also