subduction

American  

[suhb-duhk-shuhn] / səbˈdʌk ʃən /

noun

1. an act or instance of subducting; subtraction or withdrawal.

2. Geology. the process by which collision of the earth's crustal plates results in one plate's being drawn down or overridden by another, localized along the juncture subduction zone of two plates.

---

subduction British  

/ səbˈdʌkʃən /

noun

1. the act of subducting, esp of turning the eye downwards

2. geology the process of one tectonic plate sliding under another, resulting in tensions and faulting in the earth's crust, with earthquakes and volcanic eruptions

---

subduction Scientific  

/ səb-dŭk′shən /

1. A geologic process in which one edge of one lithospheric plate is forced below the edge of another. The denser of the two plates sinks beneath the other. As it descends, the plate often generates seismic and volcanic activity (from melting and upward migration of magma) in the overriding plate.

2. Compare obduction

---

Etymology

Origin of subduction

1570–80; < Latin subductiōn-, stem of subductiō pulling up, computation; see subduct, -ion

---

Explanation

In geology, subduction is what happens when one tectonic plate moves underneath another. Most strong earthquakes are caused by subduction. Subduction causes the most powerful earthquakes, and over time it's also what creates volcanoes and mountains. When you study geology or earth science, you'll learn about areas of the earth called "subduction zones," regions where subduction is occurring and earthquakes are relatively common. Before 1970, the word was used to mean "removal of noxious substances from the body."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

subduction

Along the way, it experienced unusually high temperatures at shallower depths before entering conditions associated with a relatively cooler type of subduction.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 22, 2026

The immense pressure found in subduction zones can transform rocks into a distinctive red and green material known as "eclogite."

From Science Daily ● Oct. 22, 2026

Cape Mendocino is particularly important because it lies near the region where the northern San Andreas system and the Cascadia subduction zone converge.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 24, 2026

To get a clearer picture of the subduction zone beneath the northern Oregon coast, Wirth and her colleagues installed 192 temporary nodal seismometers during the summers of 2021 and 2022.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 30, 2026

Japan’s landscape has been shaped over millennia by the subduction fault off its eastern coast.

From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---