Top 10 Deepest Canyons in the World

The terms are often used interchangeably, but a canyon typically refers to a steep-sided valley with a step-like profile, wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, formed by a river cutting through sedimentary rock. A gorge is usually narrower, with near-vertical walls, and often implies a more dramatic depth-to-width ratio. Both are formed by river erosion over millions of years, often in regions of tectonic uplift.

The deepest canyons are found in the Himalayas because the region is experiencing rapid tectonic uplift from the collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates. Rivers like the Yarlung Tsangpo, Indus, and Kali Gandaki carry enormous sediment loads and have the gradient to cut down through the rising mountains at roughly the same rate as the uplift, resulting in extreme depths. The combination of high-altitude plateaus, massive mountains, and powerful rivers creates the conditions for the world's deepest gorges.

Canyon depth is typically measured as the vertical distance from the highest point on the canyon rim to the lowest point on the canyon floor or riverbed directly below. For the deepest Himalayan gorges, this is often measured from the summit of an adjacent mountain peak to the river level, which is a rim-to-river measurement. Different sources may use different rim points, which is why depth figures for the same canyon can vary.