Why is the Dead Sea considered the lowest natural land feature on Earth’s surface?

The Dead Sea is considered the lowest natural land feature on Earth’s surface because it occupies a graben—a downfaulted block of the Earth's crust—situated between transform faults along a tectonic plate boundary.1

This geological depression formed during the Miocene Epoch when the collision of the Arabian and Eurasian plates caused fractures that allowed the crust to drop. As a result, the lake sits at an exceptionally low elevation; while it was historically measured at approximately 1,300 feet (400 metres) below sea level, human water diversion and commercial use have caused the surface level to drop further, reaching about 1,410 feet (430 metres) below sea level by the mid-2010s. Consequently, it remains the lowest body of water and the lowest exposed land elevation on the planet.123