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

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subduction zone

While collecting sediment cores from the Cascadia subduction zone off Oregon and northern California, the team accidentally drifted off course.

From Science Daily ● May 2, 2026

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

From Science Daily ● Apr. 29, 2026

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

From Science Daily ● Apr. 29, 2026

Using advanced imaging techniques and earthquake data, scientists have now seen this subduction zone starting to come apart.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 29, 2026

This area marks the meeting point of the San Andreas fault and the Cascadia subduction zone, a place capable of producing powerful and destructive earthquakes.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 17, 2026