What Is Colliding Plates?

The most geologically active regions on Earth are where plates collide. When two oceanic plates converge, the cooler, denser one descends, or subducts, beneath the overriding plate and sinks into the mantle. When an oceanic plate meets a plate with a continent riding atop it, the oceanic plate is again subducted.

What happens when plates collide?

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 are colliding plates called?

When two plates come together, it is known as a convergent boundary. The impact of the colliding plates can cause the edges of one or both plates to buckle up into a mountain ranges or one of the plates may bend down into a deep seafloor trench.