Monterey Canyon

canyon, Pacific Ocean

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Monterey Canyon, largest and deepest submarine canyon off the Pacific coast of North America. The canyon has three tributaries at its upper reaches in Monterey Bay, California: minor Soquel Canyon to the north, the main Monterey Canyon head aligned east-west off Moss Landing, and Carmel Canyon to the south. Carmel Canyon, the principal tributary, trends north-northwest to join the main valley at an axial depth of 6,000 feet (1,800 metres). Below its junction with Carmel Canyon the Monterey Canyon trends sinuously southwestward and westward down to an axial depth of 9,600 feet (2,900 metres), where the feature passes into a fan valley of low relief. The walls increase in height from the head down the canyon to a maximum of about 6,310 feet (1,920 metres) at an axial depth of about 6,670 feet (2,050 metres); thus, the canyon is comparable in size to the Grand Canyon on land.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Virginia Gorlinski.