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, Calif.: minor Soquel Canyon to the north, the main Monterey Canyon head aligned eastwest 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 ft (1,800 m). The canyon is approximately 50 mi (80 km) long. Below its junction with Carmel Canyon it trends sinously southwestward and westward down to an axial depth of 9,600 ft, 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 6,312 ft at an axial depth of about 6,670 ft; thus, the canyon is comparable in size to the Grand Canyon on land.