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  2. Plate tectonics - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plate_tectonics

    The location where two plates meet is called a plate boundary. Plate boundaries are where geological events occur, such as earthquakes and the creation of topographic features such as mountains, volcanoes, mid-ocean ridges, and oceanic trenches. The vast majority of the world's active volcanoes occur along plate boundaries, with the Pacific ...

  3. List of tectonic plate interactions - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tectonic_plate...

    Subduction zones occur where an oceanic plate meets a continental plate and is pushed underneath it. Subduction zones are marked by oceanic trenches. The descending end of the oceanic plate melts and creates pressure in the mantle, causing volcanoes to form. Back-arc basins can form from extension in the overriding plate, in response to the ...

  4. Convergent boundary - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convergent_boundary

    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. The subduction zone can be defined by a plane where many earthquakes occur, called the Wadati–Benioff zone. [1]

  5. List of tectonic plates - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tectonic_plates

    Map showing Earth's principal tectonic plates and their boundaries in detail. These plates comprise the bulk of the continents and the Pacific Ocean.For purposes of this list, a major plate is any plate with an area greater than 20 million km 2 (7.7 million sq mi)

  6. Island arc - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Island_arc

    They develop in response to tensional tectonics due to rifting of an existing island arc. Benioff zone or Wadati-Benioff zone: This is a plane that dips under the overriding plate where intense volcanic activity occurs, which is defined by the location of seismic events below the arc. Earthquakes occur from near surface to ~660 km depth.

  7. What causes earthquakes? The science behind why seismic ... - AOL

    www.aol.com/causes-earthquakes-science-behind...

    Earthquakes occur when the plates that make up the Earth's crust move around. These plates, called tectonic plates, can push against each other. ... with multiple plate boundaries like the San ...

  8. Outline of plate tectonics - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outline_of_plate_tectonics

    Plate tectonics (from Latin tectonicus, from Ancient Greek τεκτονικός (tektonikós) 'pertaining to building') is the scientific theory that Earth's lithosphere comprises a number of large tectonic plates, which have been slowly moving since 3–4 billion years ago.

  9. Ring of Fire - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ring_of_Fire

    The Pacific Ring of Fire, with trenches marked with blue lines Global earthquakes (1900–2013): Earthquakes of magnitude ≥ 7.0 (depth 0–69 km (0–43 mi)): Active volcanoes Global map of subduction zones, with subducted slabs contoured by depth Diagram of the geological process of subduction