A convergent boundary (also known as a destructive boundary) is an area on Earth where two or more lithospheric plates collide. One plate eventually slides beneath the other, a process known as subduction .

Convergent boundaries are zones where two tectonic plates move toward each other, leading to significant geological transformations. At these boundaries, one or both plates may be forced into the mantle (a process known as subduction) or undergo dramatic deformation and uplift.

The Sierra Nevada are the eroded remnants of the volcanic arc developed when the Farallon Plate subducted beneath the continent. The San Andreas Fault and Queen Charlotte Fault are transform plate boundaries developing where the Pacific Plate moves northward past the North American Plate.

When a convergent boundary occurs between two oceanic plates, one of those plates will subduct beneath the other. Normally the older plate will subduct because of its higher density. The subducting plate is heated as it is forced deeper into the mantle, and at a depth of about 100 miles (150 km) the plate begins to melt.

At convergent boundaries, plates move towards each other. Often, one plate slides beneath the other in a process known as subduction. The subducting plate sinks into the Earth's mantle, where intense heat and pressure cause it to melt. This molten rock, or magma, can then rise to the surface, fueling volcanic eruptions.

When plates of different densities converge, the higher density plate is pushed beneath the more buoyant plate in a process called subduction. When continental plates converge without subduction occurring, this process is called collision.

2020年2月11日 · The landscapes of many National Park Service sites show convergent plate boundary processes that result in a variety of mountain ranges and complex geological structures characteristic of subduction zones, accreted terranes and collisional mountain ranges.

2024年6月10日 · Examples of ocean-continent convergent boundaries are subduction of the Nazca Plate under South America (which has created the Andes Mountains and the Peru Trench) and subduction of the Juan de Fuca Plate under North America (creating the Cascade Range).

2021年2月15日 · A subduction zone is a plate boundary along which one plate of the Earth’s outer shell descends (subducts) at an angle beneath another (Figure 4.14). A subduction zone is usually marked by a deep trench on the sea floor.

2024年8月28日 · A convergent boundary is a location where two tectonic plates are moving toward each other, often causing one plate to slide below the other (in a process known as subduction). The collision of tectonic plates can result in earthquakes, volcanoes, the formation of mountains, and other geological events.