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Why does oceanic crust slide under continental crust during subduction?
Wiki User
∙ 14y ago
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.
Wiki User
∙ 14y ago
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The process of an oceanic plate colliding with and descending underneath a continental plate?
The oceanic crust is subducted underneath the continental crust. This process is known as subduction.
Oceanic crust slides under continental crust during subduction because oceanic crust is .?
denser (Apex)
What happens during subduction?
Dense oceanic crust slides under less dense continental crust
Compare and contrast oceanic crust and continental crust?
Continental crust is much thicker than oceanic crust. However, continental crust is denser and will therefore sink in subduction zones.
What is the name of the process where ocean crust sinks back toward the mantle?
It is called subduction and only occurs in oceanic to oceanic or oceanic to continental plate collisions.
Oceanic crust slides under continental crust during subduction because oceanic crust is?
denser
The process of an oceanic plate colliding with and descending underneath a continental plate?
The oceanic crust is subducted underneath the continental crust. This process is known as subduction.
Oceanic crust slides under continental crust during subduction because oceanic crust is .?
denser (Apex)
What is oceanic-oceanic subduction?
Oceanic crust sinking under a plate with continental crust
What happens during subduction?
Dense oceanic crust slides under less dense continental crust
Compare and contrast oceanic crust and continental crust?
Continental crust is much thicker than oceanic crust. However, continental crust is denser and will therefore sink in subduction zones.
What is the name of the process where ocean crust sinks back toward the mantle?
It is called subduction and only occurs in oceanic to oceanic or oceanic to continental plate collisions.
Why does the oceanic crust sink beneath the continental crust at the subduction zone?
density
Why does ocenaic crust sink beneath the continental crust at a subduction boundary?
The oceanic crust is denser than the continental crust.
What two types of crust result you subduction?
oceanic and continental
Why does oceanic crust dive underneath continental crust?
This process is known as subduction and occurs at convergent plate boundaries because oceanic crust is denser than continental crust.
What is the place where the oceanic crust is forced under the continental crust?
This is called a subduction zone.
