It is located on the east side of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, northwest of the Açores-Biscay Rise and roughly 400 km (250 mi) north-northeast of the Azores.
It is approximately 400 km (250 mi) long, running in a northwest–southeast direction.
The center depth is 4,500 m (14,800 ft).
[1] Various explanations for the complex have been suggested, ranging from compression,[2] a former plate boundary,[3] transform faulting or even an oblique meteor impact.
[4] The trough, being in an apparently geologically stable region, has been studied as a possible location for radioactive waste disposal.