Massive Underwater Canyon Discovered in Atlantic

New research explains how the King's Trough Complex formed over millions of years

Jan. 29, 2026 at 9:07pm

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A team of international researchers has discovered a massive underwater canyon system in the Atlantic Ocean, known as the King's Trough Complex, that extends over 500 kilometers and includes one of the deepest points in the Atlantic. The study, published in Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, reveals that the canyon was formed by tectonic processes as the Earth's crust was stretched and fractured between 37 and 24 million years ago, when a plate boundary temporarily ran through this part of the North Atlantic.

Why it matters

The King's Trough provides a vivid example of how processes deep in the Earth's mantle and movements of the overlying tectonic plates are linked. The findings not only improve our understanding of the geodynamic evolution of the Atlantic Ocean, but also offer insights into how similar processes are occurring today in the Azores region, where a comparable trench system is currently forming.

The details

The study suggests that the unusually thick and thermally altered oceanic crust in this region, caused by a mantle plume, made the area mechanically weaker and allowed the plate boundary to preferentially shift there. As the plate boundary later moved further south towards the modern Azores, the formation of the King's Trough also came to a halt.

  • Between approximately 37 and 24 million years ago, a plate boundary between Europe and Africa temporarily ran through this part of the North Atlantic.
  • The research expedition M168 with the research vessel METEOR that led to these findings took place in 2020.

The players

Antje Dürkefälden

The lead author of the study and a marine geologist at the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel.

Jörg Geldmacher

A co-author of the study and a marine geologist at the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel.

GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel

The research institution that led the international team that conducted the study.

American Geophysical Union (AGU)

The publisher of the journal Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, where the study was published.

Estrutura de Missão para a Extensão da Plataforma Continental (EMEPC)

The Portuguese research centre that provided additional bathymetric data for the study.

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What they’re saying

“Researchers have long suspected that tectonic processes – that is, movements of the Earth's crust – played a central role in the formation of the King's Trough.”

— Antje Dürkefälden, marine geologist at GEOMAR (Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems)

“This thickened, heated crust may have made the region mechanically weaker, so that the plate boundary preferentially shifted here.”

— Jörg Geldmacher, marine geologist at GEOMAR (Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems)

What’s next

The researchers plan to continue studying the Azores region, where a comparable trench system is currently forming, to gain further insights into how these tectonic processes shape the seafloor over time.

The takeaway

The discovery of the massive King's Trough Complex in the Atlantic demonstrates how processes deep within the Earth's mantle can influence the location and formation of major geological features on the seafloor, providing valuable insights into the dynamic geologic history of the planet.