The maximum depth of the sea is 3,785 metres (12,418 ft).
The Tyrrhenian Sea is situated near where theAfrican andEurasian Plates meet; therefore mountain chains and active volcanoes, such as MountMarsili, are found in its depths. The eightAeolian Islands andUstica are located in the southern part of the sea, north ofSicily.
Within The Tyrrhenian Sea at a depth of 1,000 metres (3,281ft) is a geographical location known as the Caprera Canyon. An exploration conducted by The One Ocean Foundation revealed colonies of rare sponges, corals and numerous fish species, many of them being endangered or at risk. The biology of the canyon is currently at risk as of November 17th, 2025. This is due to an increase in travel based pollution andBottom Trawling. The One Ocean Foundation is currently pursuing multiple layers of protection that are currently not provided for this area.[4]
In theStrait of Messina: A line joining the North extreme of Cape Paci (15°42′E) with the East extreme of the Island ofSicily, Cape Peloro (38°16′N).
On the Southwest: A line running from Cape Lilibeo (West extreme of Sicily) to the South extreme of Cape Teulada (8°38′E) inSardinia.
In theStrait of Bonifacio: A line joining the West extreme of Cape Testa (41°14′N) in Sardinia with the Southwest extreme of Cape Feno (41°23′N) in Corsica.
TheTyrrhenian Basin is divided into two basins (or plains), the Vavilov plain and the Marsili plain. They are separated by theundersea ridge known as the Issel Bridge, afterArturo Issel.[6]
The Tyrrhenian Sea is aback-arc basin that formed due to therollback of the Calabrianslab towards South-East during theNeogene.[6] Episodes of fast and slowtrench retreat formed first the Vavilov basin and, then, the Marsili basin.[7]Submarine volcanoes and the active volcanoMount Stromboli formed because trench retreat produces extension in the overriding plate allowing themantle to rise below the surface and partially melt. Themagmatism here is also affected by the fluids released from the slab.
Its name derives from the Greek name for theEtruscans, first mentioned byHesiod in the 8th century BC who described them as residing in central Italy alongside the Latins.[8][9][10][11][12] The Etruscans lived along the coast of modernTuscany,Latium andCampania, and referred to the water as the "Sea of the Etruscans".
Note that even though the phrase "port of Rome" is frequently used, there is in fact no port in Rome. Instead, the "port of Rome" refers to the maritime facilities at Civitavecchia, some 68 km (42 miles) to the northwest of Rome.[14]
Giglio Porto is a small island port in this area. It rose to prominence, when theCosta Concordia ran aground near the coast of Giglio and sank. The ship was later refloated and towed toGenoa for scrapping.[15]
InGreek mythology, it is believed that the cliffs above the Tyrrhenian Sea housed the four winds kept byAeolus. The winds are theMistral from theRhône valley, theLibeccio from the southwest, and theSirocco andOstro from the south.
^Faccenna, Claudio; Funiciello, Francesca; Giardini, Domenico; Lucente, Pio (2001). "Episodic back-arc extension during restricted mantle convection in the Central Mediterranean".Earth and Planetary Science Letters.187 (1–2):105–116.Bibcode:2001E&PSL.187..105F.doi:10.1016/s0012-821x(01)00280-1.ISSN0012-821X.
