subduction zone

noun

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

subduction zone

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.

Example Sentences

"This is the first time we have a clear picture of a subduction zone caught in the act of dying," said Shuck.

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

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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.

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"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.

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When the massive subduction zone lying under the Pacific Northwest shifts, it does so violently.

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