Adriatic Basin

The Adriatic Abyssal Plain, more commonly referred to as the Adriatic Basin, is an oceanic basin under the Adriatic Sea. The Adriatic Sea's average depth is 252.5 m, and its maximum depth is 1233 m; however, the North Adriatic basin rarely exceeds a depth of 100 m.

Expanse
The North Adriatic basin, extending between Venice and Trieste towards a line connecting Ancona and Zadar, is only 15 m deep at its northwestern end; it gradually deepens towards the southeast. It is the largest Mediterranean shelf and is simultaneously a dilution basin and a site of bottom water formation. The Middle Adriatic basin is south of the Ancona–Zadar line, with the 270 m deep Middle Adriatic Pit (also called the Pomo Depression or the Jabuka Pit). The 170 m deep Palagruža Sill is south of the Middle Adriatic Pit, separating it from the 1200 m deep South Adriatic Pit and the Middle Adriatic basin from the South Adriatic Basin. Further on to the south, the sea floor rises to 780 m to form the Otranto Sill at the boundary to the Ionian Sea.

The South Adriatic Basin is similar in many respects to the Northern Ionian Sea, to which it is connected.