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Why is the Dead Sea considered the lowest body of water on Earth’s surface?

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White salt deposits cover rocks along the shore of the Dead Sea near Masada, Israel, with green water and dramatic cloudy sky in the background. — Dead Sea Salt deposits at the Dead Sea near Masada, Israel.

The Dead Sea is considered the lowest body of water on Earth’s surface because its surface elevation is significantly below sea level.12

This unique position is the result of the lake's location within a graben—a downfaulted block of the Earth's crust—situated between transform faults along a tectonic plate boundary. While the lake's surface was historically measured at approximately 1,300 feet (400 meters) below sea level for several decades, human activities, such as the diversion of the Jordan River and commercial water use, have caused the water level to drop significantly. By the mid-2010s, the surface of the Dead Sea had reached an elevation of about 1,410 feet (430 meters) below sea level, maintaining its status as the lowest land point on Earth.3142