subduction zone

British  

noun

1. geology a long narrow, often arcuate, zone along which subduction takes place

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subduction zone Scientific  

1. A convergent plate boundary where one plate subducts beneath the other, usually because it is denser. The western coast of South America is roughly coincident with a subduction zone in which a plate consisting of ocean floor is subducting beneath the continental mass of South America.

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Example Sentences

For the first time, scientists have directly witnessed a subduction zone -- the place where one tectonic plate plunges beneath another -- in the midst of breaking apart.

From Science Daily • Oct. 25, 2025

Although each episode takes millions of years, these gradual stages together mark the death of a subduction zone.

From Science Daily • Oct. 25, 2025

"Getting a subduction zone started is like trying to push a train uphill -- it takes a huge effort," said Brandon Shuck, a geologist at Louisiana State University and lead author of the study.

From Science Daily • Oct. 25, 2025

Under this explanation, the finer, silty deposits were deposited first from a farther-away quake on the Cascadia subduction zone.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 7, 2025

In 1700, a Cascadia subduction zone earthquake is believed to have measured around a magnitude 9.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 7, 2025