Table of Contents
What is subduction zone simple definition?
The subduction zone is the place where two lithospheric plates come together, one riding over the other. Most volcanoes on land occur parallel to and inland from the boundary between the two plates.
Which is the subduction zone?
subduction zone, oceanic trench area marginal to a continent in which, according to the theory of plate tectonics, older and denser seafloor underthrusts the continental mass, dragging downward into the Earth’s upper mantle the accumulated trench sediments.
What is the meaning of subducting?
Definition of subduction : the action or process in plate tectonics of the edge of one crustal plate descending below the edge of another.
How big is a subduction zone?
Although subduction zones extend from the surface to as deep as ~700 km, the most hazardous area is the shallowest ~50 km where the large (“megathrust”) earthquakes are generated. This is also the part of the slab that can produce tsunamis when an earthquake occurs.
Is a subduction zone a fault?
The Cascadia Subduction Zone, which forms the boundary between the Juan de Fuca and North American plates, is a very long sloping fault that stretches from mid-Vancouver Island to Northern California.
What are some subduction zones?
There are 2 main types of subduction zones: Oceanic-oceanic plate boundaries: If the subducting plate subducts beneath an adjacent oceanic plate, anisland arc is formed. Examples include theAleutians, the Kuriles , Japan, and the Philippines, all located at the northern and western borders of the Pacific plate .
What are subduction zones associated with?
Subduction zones are associated with regions where two plates are moving towards each other, and the crust of the earth is shortened. An example is where the western edge of South America meets the Pacific Ocean . In this case, the collision is between a continental plate and an oceanic plate,…
Where are subduction zones likely to form?
Subduction zones are likely to form between converging oceanic and continental plates.
Where does subduction take place?
Subduction is a geological process that takes place at convergent boundaries of tectonic plates where one plate moves under another and is forced to sink due to high gravitational potential energy into the mantle. Regions where this process occurs are known as subduction zones.