Hellenic Trench

E14401

The Hellenic Trench is a deep submarine trench in the eastern Mediterranean, formed by the subduction of the African Plate beneath the Aegean microplate and known for hosting some of the region’s greatest ocean depths and seismic activity.

Jump to: Surface forms Statements Referenced by

Observed surface forms (1)

Surface form Occurrences
Hellenic trench 2

Statements (44)

Predicate Object
instanceOf oceanic trench
subduction zone feature
associatedWith Aegean Sea Plate
surface form: Aegean microplate

African Plate
Hellenic Arc
surface form: Hellenic volcanic arc
countryOffshoreFrom Greece
Libya
Turkey
featureType deep-sea trench
formedBy subduction of the African Plate beneath the Aegean microplate
geodynamicRole accommodates convergence between Africa and Eurasia in the eastern Mediterranean
geologicalAge Cenozoic
hasMorphology narrow trench floor
steep trench slopes
hazardType earthquake hazard
tsunami hazard
influences seismicity of Greece
tsunami risk in the eastern Mediterranean
isOneOf deepest parts of the Mediterranean Sea
knownFor frequent earthquakes
great ocean depths in the Mediterranean region
high seismic activity
tsunamigenic earthquakes
locatedIn Mediterranean Sea
Eastern Mediterranean
surface form: eastern Mediterranean Sea
maximumDepth over 5 km
over 5000 m
oceanOrSea Mediterranean Sea
orientation roughly east–west to northwest–southeast
partOf Hellenic Arc
surface form: Hellenic Arc system

Hellenic subduction system
surface form: Hellenic subduction zone
process oceanic lithosphere subduction
region Aegean islands
surface form: Aegean region

eastern Mediterranean tectonic province
relatedEvent historic large earthquakes in the eastern Mediterranean
runsAlong south of Crete
south of the Ionian Islands
south of the Peloponnese
separates Aegean microplate from African Plate
studiedIn marine geology
plate tectonics
seismology
tectonicSetting convergent plate boundary
underlies Hellenic Arc

Referenced by (6)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Aegean Sea Plate associatedWith Hellenic Trench
this entity surface form: Hellenic trench
this entity surface form: Hellenic trench
Mediterranean Sea deepestPointLocatedIn Hellenic Trench
Hellenic Arc hasPart Hellenic Trench
Calypso Deep locatedIn Hellenic Trench
Calypso Deep partOf Hellenic Trench