The Rockall Trough is a deep-water bathymetric feature to the north west of the British Isles, running roughly from south west to north east, flanked on the north by the Rockall Plateau and to the south by the Porcupine Seabight. At the northern end, the channel is bounded by the Wyville-Thompson Ridge , named after Charles Wyville-Thompson, professor of zoology at Edinburgh University and driving force behind the Challenger Expedition. At the southern end, the trough opens into the Porcupine Abyssal Plain. One of the features of the Rockall Trough is the Anton Dohrn Seamount , a seamount rising several thousand feet from the surrounding seabed.