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Quelque dangereux que soit le gouffre, nous le sondons.

Quelque dangereux que soit le gouffre, nous le sondons.
However dangerous the chasm is, we probe it.
From Lesson 416:Concessive clauses with subjunctive (quelque... que)·French

Questions & Answers about Quelque dangereux que soit le gouffre, nous le sondons.

I know quelque usually means "some". How do I know it means "however" here?
The structure gives it away. When quelque is followed immediately by an adjective (like dangereux), then que, and a verb in the subjunctive (soit), it forms a concessive phrase meaning "however [adjective]" or "no matter how [adjective]". If it meant "some," it would come directly before a noun.
If there were multiple chasms (les gouffres), would quelque take an -s?
No. Because quelque is modifying an adjective (dangereux) in this specific structure, it acts as an adverb. Adverbs are invariable in French, so it remains quelque even if the noun it refers to is plural.
Why is the subject (le gouffre) placed after the verb (soit)?
In clauses built with quelque + [adjective] + que, it is a grammatical rule to invert the subject and place it after the subjunctive verb. Saying quelque dangereux que le gouffre soit would sound unnatural to a French ear.
Why does this sentence require the subjunctive (soit)?
Concessive phrases like quelque... que ("no matter how...") set up an extreme or theoretical condition that still fails to prevent the main action from happening. In French, this kind of subjective framing almost always triggers the subjunctive mood.

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