Why Do Denser Plates Subduct in a Collision?

James H. Sterling
James H. Sterling
• • 7 min read

Oceanic Plates Are Made of Basalt Rock, So They Are Denser. .. . the Oceanic Plate Is Denser and Sinks Due to Its Lower Buoyancy. It Is Sucked into the...

Why Do Denser Plates Subduct in a Collision?

Oceanic plates are made of basalt rock, so they are denser. ... The oceanic plate is denser and sinks due to its lower buoyancy. It is sucked into the asthenosphere

asthenosphere
It lies below the lithosphere, between approximately 80 and 200 km (50 and 120 miles) below the surface. The lithosphere–asthenosphere boundary is usually referred to as the LAB. The asthenosphere is almost solid, although some of its regions are molten (e.g., below mid-ocean ridges).
› wiki › Asthenosphere
and is melted deeper into the Earth, called a subduction zone.

Why do some plates Subduct?

Subduction occurs when two plates collide at a convergent boundary, and one plate is driven beneath the other, back into the Earth's interior. Not all convergence leads to subduction. Continental rocks are too buoyant to be forced downward, so when continents collide, they crumple but stay at the surface.

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What plate will Subduct upon collision?

When an oceanic and a continental plate collide, eventually the oceanic plate is subducted under the continental plate due to the high density of the oceanic plate.

James H. Sterling

James H. Sterling

Environmental Science & Climate Journalist
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James Sterling reports on renewable energy developments, climate policy, ecological conservation, and green tech innovations around the globe.