Sunda Trench
Also called: Java Trench · Topic: Oceans: Hydrological Cycle, Relief of the Ocean Floor, Temperature and Salinity · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 12 "Water (Oceans)"
Meaning
The Sunda Trench, also called the Java Trench, is the deepest trench in the Indian Ocean. It is about 7,200 m deep. It forms where the Indo-Australian Plate sinks under the plate next to it. This sinking is called subduction. Subduction causes strong earthquakes and volcanoes along the trench. An earthquake here caused the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
Example
The trench runs off the coasts of Sumatra and Java in Indonesia. The 2004 tsunami that began there struck the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and the coast of Tamil Nadu.
Don't confuse with
- Ninety East Ridge: this is an underwater ridge in the Indian Ocean with no earthquakes. The Sunda Trench is a deep hollow with frequent earthquakes.
Related concepts
- Relief of the ocean floor
- Continental margin
- Continental shelf
- Continental slope
- Abyssal plain
- Oceanic trench
- Mariana Trench
- Puerto Rico Trench