What is the process of seafloor spreading and subduction?

At subduction zones, the edge of the denser plate subducts, or slides, beneath the less-dense one. The denser lithospheric material then melts back into the Earth’s mantle. Seafloor spreading creates new crust. Subduction destroys old crust.

What are steps in the process of seafloor spreading?

What are the steps in seafloor spreading?

1. Magma comes out of the rift valley.
2. Magma cools to rock and hardens.
3. Rock is pushed away as new rock is formed at MOR.
4. Oceanic crust and continental crust meet at the trench.
5. Oceanic crust bends down under the continental crust.
6. Gravity pulls rock towards mantle.

What is subduction process?

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.

Which is the first step in the seafloor spreading process quizlet?

1. A long crack in the oceanic crust forms at a mid ocean ridge. 2. Molten material rises and erupts along the ridge.

What is the process by which the ocean floor sinks into the mantle?

Subduction is the process by which the ocean floor sinks beneath a deep-ocean trench and back into the mantle.

Which best summarizes the process of subduction?

Which best summarizes the process of subduction? Old, dense oceanic lithosphere dives beneath younger or lighter lithosphere.

What process is shown occurring at ocean floor and why does it occur?

It is due to the process of subduction; oceanic crust tends to get colder and denser with age as it spreads off the mid-ocean ridges. It gets so dense, that it sinks in the upper mantle (subduction).

What process or processes change the size and shape of the oceans?

subduction

The processes of subduction and sea-floor spreading can change the size and shape of the oceans. Because of these processes, the ocean floor is renewed about every 200 million years.

What process occurs at the mid-ocean ridge?

Answer: Mid-ocean ridges occur along divergent plate boundaries, where new ocean floor is created as the Earth’s tectonic plates spread apart. As the plates separate, molten rock rises to the seafloor, producing enormous volcanic eruptions of basalt.

What is the process that adds more crust to the ocean floor?

This is called Sea-Floor Spreading. (Sea-floor spreading adds more crust to the ocean floor. At the same time, older strips of rock move outward from either side of the ridge).

What is the process by which new oceanic crust is added?

New oceanic crust is formed at mid-ocean ridges. This happens through the process of seafloor spreading. Mid-ocean ridges are divergent plate boundaries. At mid-ocean ridges, tectonic plates move apart and seafloor spreading occurs.

What occurs during seafloor spreading?

Sea-floor spreading is what happens at the mid-oceanic ridge where a divergent boundary is causing two plates to move away from one another resulting in spreading of the sea floor. As the plates move apart, new material wells up and cools onto the edge of the plates.

How does subduction produce magma?

How does subduction produce magma? At the point where two plates collide, one plate may be pushed under the other plate, so that it sinks into the mantle. … The increased water content lowers the melting point of the mantle rock in this wedge, causing it to melt into magma.

What occurs in subduction zones?

Subduction zones are plate tectonic boundaries where two plates converge, and one plate is thrust beneath the other. This process results in geohazards, such as earthquakes and volcanoes.

What is subduction process Brainly?

Brainly User. Subduction is a geological process that takes place at convergent boundaries of tectonic plates where one plate moves under another and is forced to sink due to high gravitational potential energy into the mantle. … Subduction zones are sites that usually have a high rate of volcanism and earthquakes.

How do subduction volcanoes form?

A subduction volcano forms when continental and oceanic crust collide. The oceanic crust melts and migrates upwards until it erupts on the surface, creating a volcano.

Which plate undergoes subduction?

oceanic plate

The oceanic plate is denser, so it undergoes subduction. This means that the oceanic plate sinks beneath the continent. This occurs at an ocean trench (Figure below). Subduction zones are where subduction takes place.

How does subduction trigger melting?

In a subduction zone (like the Cascades or the Andes), where an oceanic plate slides down under another plate, that downgoing slab releases its water as it heats up. That water then rises up into the mantle above it, causing it to melt at a lower temperature and, bam!

What type of landforms does subduction cause?

Various formations such as mountain ranges, islands, and trenches are caused by subduction and the volcanoes and earthquakes it triggers. In addition to causing earthquakes, subduction can also trigger tsunamis.