Convergent boundary definition6/29/2023 ![]() ![]() Thus, a viscous and hot liquid called magma is generated which then moves up through the vent between the two sliding tectonic plates. As the fluids are released from the subducting plate into the hot mantle below, the process of partial melting of the parts of the subducted plate and the sediments carried by it begins to take place. As the plate slides to greater depths of about 100 km below the surface of the Earth, it comes into contact with the relatively hotter environment of the mantle. How Is Magma Generated Along Convergent Plate Boundaries?Īt the subduction zone of a convergent boundary, the denser tectonic plate slides underneath the relatively less dense plate. The process of folding at such convergent boundaries is explained below under the sub-heading: What Type Of Mountain Ranges Form At Convergent Plate Boundaries? The Himalayas were born as a result of the collision between two continental plates (the Indo-Australian Plate and the Eurasian plate) at the convergent boundary between these plates. Such types of convergent boundaries are also subjected to extensive faulting and folding of the rocks within the two plates that are colliding with each other. Instead, subduction might happen to some extent if the heavier lithosphere below the crust might break free from it due to the forces of friction and pressure created at the convergent boundary. Since two continental plates are colliding, subduction becomes questionable as the difference in density between the plates is usually quite low. This results in the creation of magma chambers at the subduction zones which might ultimately lead to volcanic eruptions and the formation of volcanic island chains in the ocean.Īn example of such a boundary has been found between the Pacific and the Philippine oceanic plates that led to the formation of the Japanese islands.Īt convergent boundaries that involve two continental plates, the plate tectonics is a bit more complex than in the other two types of convergent boundaries. When two such plates approach each other, the older and hence the denser plate usually subducts beneath the other. The tectonic activity at this convergent boundary has led to the formation of the volcanic Cascade Mountain Range.Ī convergent boundary might also feature two oceanic plates. Here the oceanic plate of Juan de Fuca is subducting beneath the North American continental plate that is moving in a westward direction. The formation of volcanoes at such sites is explained below as an answer to the question: How Do Volcanoes Form At Convergent Boundaries?Īn example of this type of convergent boundary is the Washington-Oregon coastline of the US. Deep oceanic trenches are produced in the process and the subduction activity might lead to earthquakes or volcanic eruptions. The thinner and denser oceanic plate usually subducts below the thicker and less dense continental plate. ![]() When a continental and an oceanic plate collide at the convergent boundary of the two plates, subduction zones often develop. There are three types of convergent boundaries depending on the nature of the tectonic plates converging with each other. Some or all of these activities happen at the convergent boundaries: subduction of the denser plate underneath the less dense one, melting of parts of the subducted plates, plate collision, faulting and folding, crustal deformation, magma generation, volcanic eruptions, and earthquakes. What Happens At A Convergent Boundary?Ĭonvergent boundaries are highly unstable areas of the lithosphere of the Earth. ![]() Now that we know what tectonic plates mean, we can easily answer the question of what a convergent boundary is.Ĭonvergent boundaries, also referred to as destructive plate boundaries, are locations on the lithosphere where two or more tectonic plates move towards each other leading to high levels of tectonic activities. What Is A Convergent Boundary? Where Are Convergent Boundaries Located? It was these tectonic movements that gave birth to the continents we see today after the continental plates broke away from the supercontinent of Pangaea. ![]() The tectonic plates of the lithosphere are not static in nature but are constantly moving towards and away from each other. The tectonic plates are of two types: the oceanic plates, and the continental plates. The lithosphere of the Earth that includes the crust and the uppermost mantle is not continuous in nature but is subdivided into several pieces called tectonic plates. To answer the question “What Is A Convergent Boundary?”, we first need to understand the meaning of tectonic plates. ![]()
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