What word means a tectonic plate is going under another tectonic plate?

subduction
In geology, subduction refers to the process of the Earth’s tectonic plates sinking into the mantle below other plates.

What types of geological events occur at plate boundaries?

Earthquakes, volcanic activity, mountain-building, and oceanic trench formation occur along plate boundaries in zones that may be anything from a few kilometres to a few hundred kilometres wide.

What plate tectonic boundaries do earthquakes occur at?

convergent boundaries
About 80\% of earthquakes occur where plates are pushed together, called convergent boundaries. Another form of convergent boundary is a collision where two continental plates meet head-on.

Why do most earthquakes occur at the boundaries between tectonic plates?

Most earthquakes happen at or near the boundaries between Earth’s tectonic plates because that’s where there is usually a large concentration of faults. Some faults crack through the Earth because of the stress and strain of the moving plates. Movement along those faults can cause earthquakes too.

Which term refers to the moving of one plate beneath the other plate due to the difference in density?

A tectonic process in which one tectonic plate is forced beneath another and sinks into the mantle as the plates converge.

What is it called when one plate sinks beneath another?

Subduction is a geological process in which the oceanic lithosphere is recycled into the Earth’s mantle at convergent boundaries. Where the oceanic lithosphere of a tectonic plate converges with the less dense lithosphere of a second plate, the heavier plate dives beneath the second plate and sinks into the mantle.

Do earthquakes occur at transform plate boundaries?

Transform boundaries typically produce large, shallow-focus earthquakes. Although earthquakes do occur in the central regions of plates, these regions do not usually have large earthquakes.

What is a convergent plate boundary also called?

Different types of plate boundaries A convergent plate boundary also known as a destructive plate boundary , usually involves an oceanic plate and a continental plate. The plates move towards one another and this movement can cause earthquakes and volcanoes.

What type of earthquakes occur at convergent boundaries?

Convergent boundaries cause earthquakes when the two plates collide with so much force and cause a quake for the earth to shake. Subduction zone earthquakes are among the most powerful, primarily because there is so much surface area being affected, resulting in a much greater seismic movement.

What is an earthquake and how do earthquakes generally occur?

Most faults in the Earth’s crust don’t move for a long time. But in some cases, the rock on either side of a fault slowly deforms over time due to tectonic forces. Earthquakes are usually caused when underground rock suddenly breaks and there is rapid motion along a fault.

What happens when one plate slides under another?

Plates Subduct When an ocean plate collides with another ocean plate or with a plate carrying continents, one plate will bend and slide under the other. This process is called subduction. As the subducting plate plunges deep into the mantle, it gets so hot it melts the surrounding rock.

What do geologists call the Earth’s crust and upper mantle?

the lithosphere
The tectonic plates are made up of Earth’s crust and the upper part of the mantle layer underneath. Together the crust and upper mantle are called the lithosphere and they extend about 80 km deep.