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Convergentboundaries

Convergent boundaries occur where two tectonic plates collide and move towards each other. There are several features associated with convergent boundaries. When two oceanic plates converge, a deep ocean trench forms as one plate slides underneath the other due to oceanic crust being denser. Volcanoes then form parallel to the trench. If one plate is oceanic and one continental, the volcanoes become islands or mountain ranges on land. When two continental plates converge, they crumple upon collision, forming high mountain ranges like the Himalayas since continental crust is less dense and does not subduct.

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Convergentboundaries

Convergent boundaries occur where two tectonic plates collide and move towards each other. There are several features associated with convergent boundaries. When two oceanic plates converge, a deep ocean trench forms as one plate slides underneath the other due to oceanic crust being denser. Volcanoes then form parallel to the trench. If one plate is oceanic and one continental, the volcanoes become islands or mountain ranges on land. When two continental plates converge, they crumple upon collision, forming high mountain ranges like the Himalayas since continental crust is less dense and does not subduct.

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CONVERGENTBOUNDARIES

THETHEORYOFPLATETECTONICS

The
theoryofplatetectonics
statesthatthecrustofthe
earthisbrokenupintolargepieces,orplates.Theseplates
movearoundbyfloatingontopoftheliquidlayerofthe
earthknownasthemantle.Thisprocessisdrivenby
convectioncurrents
withinthemantle.Convection
currentsareformedbyhotmagmanearthecorerising
towardsthesurface,whilecoolermagmanearthecrust
sinks,settingupacurrentthatcausestheplatestomove.
Thistheorywastheresultofdecadesofworkand
observationsmadeoftheearth'ssurface.

PLATEBOUNDARIES
Sometectonicplatesareentirely
oceaniccrust
,orcrustundertheocean.Otherplatesarea
combinationofoceanicand
continentalcrust
,whichiscrustofthecontinents.A
plate

boundary
is
wheretwoseparateplatesmeet.Ataplateboundaryyoucanusuallyfinda
fault
.Afaultisacrackin
theearth'scrustresultingfromthemovementofthetwoplates.

CONVERGENTBOUNDARY
OceanicOceanicConvergence
Aconvergentboundaryiswheretwotectonicplatesarecollidingormovingtowardseach
other.Thereseveralsurfacefeaturesthatareassociatedwithconvergentboundaries.The
firstisa
deepoceantrench
thatformsalineofthetwocollidingplates.Oneplatemadeof
oceaniccrustcanslidedownunderneathanotherplate,formingthisnarrow,deeptrench.
Thishappensbecauseoceaniccrustismoredensethancontinentalcrust,makingitmore
likelytobepushedbackintothemantle.Thesetrenchesarethedeepestplacesontheface
oftheearth,extendingover30,000feetbelowtheoceansurface.YoucouldtakeMount
EverestandsinkitintheMarianaTrench,thedeepestpointintheocean,andstillhaveamile
tothesurfaceoftheocean.That'sdeep!
OceanicContinentalConvergence
Asoneplateisforcedundertheotherone,itbeginstomelt,andalineof
volcanoes
formsin
a
parallelline
tothetrench.Iftheotherplateisoceaniccrust,thelineofvolcanoeswill
become
islands
,likethePhilippines,andifitiscontinentalcrust,thenitwillbecomealineof
volcanicmountains
,liketheCascadeRangeinthewesternU.S.orthe
AndesMountains
in
SouthAmerica.
ContinentalContinentalConvergence
Ifbothplatesarecontinentalcrust,theplateswillcrumpleupastheycollide,formingahigh
mountainrange
,muchliketheHimalayas.Continentalcrustislessdensethanoceaniccrust
anddoesnotgetforceddownintothemantle,butinsteadrisesup.

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