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

See Examples For:

subduction zone

The tsunami was triggered by a magnitude 8.8 earthquake on July 29 in the Kuril-Kamchatka subduction zone, where one tectonic plate is forced beneath another.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 25, 2026

Scientists have, for the first time, clearly captured a subduction zone in the act of breaking apart.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 29, 2026

The Kuril-Kamchatka subduction zone has produced some of the largest tsunamis on record, including a devastating event in 1952 triggered by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 6, 2026

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

"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