Table of Contents
What occurs when two continental plates collide at a convergent boundary?
If two tectonic plates collide, they form a convergent plate boundary. Usually, one of the converging plates will move beneath the other, a process known as subduction. The new magma (molten rock) rises and may erupt violently to form volcanoes, often building arcs of islands along the convergent boundary.
What is oceanic continental convergence?
Ocean-Continent Convergence. 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 subducting plate causes melting in the mantle above the plate.
What happens to oceanic plates at convergent boundary quizlet?
What happens at convergent boundaries, where an oceanic plate and a continental plate collide? Oceanic crust tends to be denser and thinner than continental crust, so the denser oceanic crust gets bent and pulled under, or subducted, beneath the lighter and thicker continental crust.
What happens when two oceanic plates collide?
When two plates converge, the result is called a collision. When two plates collide, the density of the plates determines which one comes out on top. Oceanic crust becomes cooler and denser as it spreads away from the mid-ocean ridge.
Which is heavier an oceanic plate or a continental plate?
Because of their heavy ferromagnesian elements, oceanic plates are much denser than continental plates. The average density of ocean plates is approximately 200 pounds per cubic foot, while continental crust ranges between about 162 and and 172 pounds per cubic foot.
When two oceanic plates collide what forms?
Two oceanic plates converge. Islands form an arc when two oceanic plates converge creating a row of islands above the overriding plate. The older plate, which is heavier and denser, is forced beneath the lighter plate.
What is zone formed where two oceanic plates collide?
A subduction zone is also generated when two oceanic plates collide – the older plate is forced under the younger one – and it leads to the formation of chains of volcanic islands known as island arcs. Examples include the Mariana Islands in the western Pacific Ocean and the Aleutian Islands, off the coast of Alaska.