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Convergent Boundaries
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Convergent Boundaries
Convergent Boundaries
also known as a destructive plate boundary (because of subduction), is an actively deforming region where two (or more) tectonic plates or fragments of the lithosphere move toward one another and collide.
Destructive plate boundary
A destructive plate boundary is sometimes called a convergent or tensional plate margin. This occurs when oceanic and continental plates move together. The oceanic plate is forced under the lighter continental plate. Friction causes melting of the oceanic plate and may trigger earthquakes. Magma rises up through cracks and erupts onto the surface.
An example of a destructive plate boundary is where the Nazca plate is forced under the South American Plate.
Destructive plate boundary
Oceanic-Continental Convergent Plate Boundary
When oceanic crust converges with continental crust, the denser oceanic plate plunges beneath the continental plate. This process, called subduction, occurs at the oceanic trenches. The entire region is known as a subduction zone.
Oceanic-Continental Convergent Plate Boundary
Subduction Zones
Subduction zones have a lot of intense earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The subducting plate causes melting in the mantle above the plate. The magma rises and erupts, creating volcanoes.
Subduction Zones
Continental Arc
These coastal volcanic mountains are found in a line above the subducting plate. The volcanoes are known as a continental arc.
Continental Arc
Examples
- Trench
- Volcanoes
- Mountain Ranges
Trench
Trenches are geological features formed by convergent boundaries. The Marianas Trench is an example of a trench formed by the convergence of two oceanic plates. The deepest part of this trench, called the Challenger Deep, is over 36,000 feet deep, deeper than Mount Everest is tall.
Trench
Volcanoes
Another geological feature that results from a subduction zone is volcanoes. Mount Saint Helens is an example of a volcano formed by an oceanic plate that is subducting under the North American continental plate. When two oceanic plates converge, both a trench and a string of volcanoes are formed. These volcanoes can build to produce island chains, such as the Mariana Islands, which are located alongside the Marianas Trench.
Volcanoes
Mountain Ranges
When two continental plates converge, neither of the buoyant plates is able to give way and subduct beneath the other. The Himalayas, one of the tallest mountain ranges in the world, is an example of a geological feature that is formed when continental plates collide.