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This process is known as subduction. When an oceanic plate collides with and is forced underneath a continental plate, it creates a subduction zone. The descending oceanic plate melts due to the intense heat and pressure, causing volcanic activity and the formation of mountain ranges on the continental plate.
The oceanic crust slides under the continental crust due to the differences in their densities. The continental crust is more felsic (contains more silica) which makes it lighter than the oceanic crust which is more mafic (containes more fe and mg). Because the process of subduction is very slow, gravitational forces have a stronger effect on the more dense oceanic crust, causing this crust to be pulled under the continental crust and down into the mantle.
No, rifting is not the opposite of subduction. Rifting is the process where tectonic plates move apart, creating new crust, while subduction is the process where one plate is forced beneath another, leading to the destruction and recycling of crust.
In a subduction zone the crust is forced inot the mantle where it is eventually melted and destroyed
Where crust is destroyed
When continental plates collide, the denser oceanic crust is usually subducted beneath the less dense continental crust. This process can create subduction zones, where the oceanic crust is forced downward into the mantle. The oceanic crust may melt or be recycled back into the mantle in these subduction zones.
After subduction, the denser oceanic plate sinks into the mantle where it undergoes partial melting. This molten material can then rise to the surface through volcanic eruptions, creating volcanic arcs and contributing to the formation of new crust. The process of subduction helps recycle materials in the Earth's crust and plays a key role in plate tectonics.
Subduction Zone.
Dense oceanic crust slides under less dense continental crust
Generally, subduction zones are formed when two plates collide and one is heavier than the other. When two continents collide, rather than one sinking, they will both be uplifted because they are light and buoyant.
Oceanic crust sinking under a plate with continental crust