The lowest point on dry land refers to terrestrial surfaces not permanently covered by water, excluding ocean depths like the Mariana Trench. The undisputed record for the lowest exposed elevation on Earth belongs to the shore of the Dead Sea. Its unique geological setting has created a basin that plunges far deeper than any other dry land surface.
The Absolute Lowest Point
The lowest point on dry land is the shoreline of the Dead Sea in the Middle East, a hypersaline lake bordered by Israel, Jordan, and the West Bank. This area is the lowest elevation on the planet’s exposed crust, currently sitting at approximately 431 meters (1,414 feet) below Mean Sea Level (MSL).
This measurement is not static and changes annually due to significant water loss from the lake. The declining water level means the exposed shoreline continues to sink lower year after year, reflecting ongoing environmental changes in this arid, terminal basin.
Geological Processes Creating the Depression
The extreme low elevation of the Dead Sea is a direct consequence of massive-scale plate tectonics and continental rifting. The Dead Sea is situated within the Jordan Rift Valley, a major geological feature that forms a segment of the larger Great Rift Valley system. This valley marks the boundary between the African Plate and the Arabian Plate.
The depression itself is a “pull-apart basin,” a type of graben, or subsided block of the Earth’s crust. This formation occurred along the Dead Sea Transform Fault, where the Arabian Plate is moving northward faster than the African Plate. This relative movement creates a shearing motion that pulls the crust apart and causes the land between the plates to drop.
The resulting basin is endorheic, meaning it has no outflow to the ocean; evaporation is the only way for water to leave the system. Because the region has a hot, arid climate, the rate of evaporation is extremely high. This prevents the basin from filling up to sea level and sustains the lake and its surrounding shore at such a profound depth.
Comparing Other Major Sub-Sea Level Basins
While the Dead Sea holds the world record, numerous other basins exist below sea level. In North America, the lowest elevation is Badwater Basin, located in Death Valley, California. This point reaches 86 meters (282 feet) below sea level, making it the deepest depression on the continent.
Lake Assal in Djibouti is recognized as the lowest point on the continent of Africa. This salt lake’s surface sits at 155 meters (509 feet) below sea level, placing it second globally behind the Dead Sea. Like the Dead Sea, Lake Assal is a hypersaline, endorheic lake formed in a rift zone.
The Qattara Depression in Egypt is a vast, uninhabited area of the Libyan Desert that also plunges below sea level. Its lowest point is measured at 133 meters (435 feet) below the ocean surface. Unlike the Dead Sea, which is formed by tectonic plate movement, the Qattara Depression is primarily the result of wind erosion and salt weathering.