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The oceanic plate sinks into the mantle where it melts. This is replaced by new oceanic plate at the mid-oceanic ridge.

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Q: What happens to an oceanic plate as it pushes against a continental plate and sinks?
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What happens to an oceanic plate as it pushes against another plate?

When oceanic plates push against one another they cause subduction or adduction earthquakes. These plate tectonics take place on ocean floors all over the world.


What happens when a plate gets subducted?

The colder, more dense plate is the one that subducts in a collision between two plates. In an oceanic to oceanic plate collision it is the older of the two plates that will subduct due to its higher density. In an oceanic to continental plate collision, it's the oceanic plate that will subduct because of its higher density.


What is ''slab-push structure?

It pushes hot magma up through the crust and makes volcanoes.


Are rocks on the seafloor older then the continental rocks?

No. Continental rocks are much older. New sea floor is constantly being create and destroyed. At mid-ocean ridges, the sea floor spreads and magma from deeper in the Earth pushes up to create new ocean crust. At places where ocean plates contact continental plates, the ocean plate is often pushed underneath the continental plate, in a process called subduction. As the ocean plate is pushed back down into the Earth, the heat and the pressure melt it down, destroying it. Since continental plates are very rarely subducted, and, with the exception of places like Iceland where a mid-ocean ridge actually rises above sea level, generally rocks on the continent will be older.


How is a Warm Front formed?

they are formed when hot air pushes against cold air

Related questions

What happens to an oceanic plate as it pushes against another plate?

When oceanic plates push against one another they cause subduction or adduction earthquakes. These plate tectonics take place on ocean floors all over the world.


What happens when a tropical martime air mass pushes up against a polar continental air mass?

it creates heavy storms


What often occurs where an oceanic plate pushes under a continental plate?

This usually is where and how mountains ranges are formed. Volcanism can also result from the subduction melting of the oceanic crust.


What happens when a plate gets subducted?

The colder, more dense plate is the one that subducts in a collision between two plates. In an oceanic to oceanic plate collision it is the older of the two plates that will subduct due to its higher density. In an oceanic to continental plate collision, it's the oceanic plate that will subduct because of its higher density.


How do plate tectonics make volcanos?

Plate tectonics is about thin oceanic plates knocking against larger continental plates. When both plates are pushed against each other by thermal actions of the underlying magma then the oceanic plates goes under the continental plate. As it is pushed down it melts and forms magma that rises to the surface and the magma pushes its way through the continental plate and creates volcanoes. The more the oceanic plate is pushed under the continental plate, the greater the potential for more volcanoes and more volcanic activity. Volcanoes can occur under the sea when two oceanic plates come together as well. This action can cause volcanic islands to form.


How do tectonic plate volcanoes erupt?

Plate tectonics is about thin oceanic plates knocking against larger continental plates. When both plates are pushed against each other by thermal actions of the underlying magma then the oceanic plates goes under the continental plate. As it is pushed down it melts and forms magma that rises to the surface and the magma pushes its way through the continental plate and creates volcanoes. The more the oceanic plate is pushed under the continental plate, the greater the potential for more volcanoes and more volcanic activity. Volcanoes can occur under the sea when two oceanic plates come together as well. This action can cause volcanic islands to form.


What are divergent boundaries?

Divergent boundaries are areas where continental or oceanic plates are moving away from each other and creating new crust. Examples would be the Mid-Oceanic Ridge and the East African Rift Zone.


When two oceanic plates meet at a convergent boundary which plate pushes below the other plate?

The denser oceanic plates pushes below the lighter one.


How do volcanos form at a plate boundary?

When tectonic plates converge together at the bottom of the ocean the oceanic plate goes under the continental plate because the oceanic plate weighs more and then the oceanic plate pushes up the continental plate which forms mountains and sometimes the tectonic plates let magma through which goes up through the continental plate and then opens a hole at the top of the mountains called a vent which is where the steam, volcanic ash, debris and lava come out of.


How do volcano's form when oceanic and continental plates collide?

Mountains form where continental and oceanic plates collide by the actions of the plates upon one another. Often one plate pushes up and over the other one, and the upper one creates a row of mountains.


What happens when the nazca seafloor plate pushes into the so American continental plate?

the nazca plate will move under the south american plate.


What pushes up continental crust?

the tectonic plates