Subduction
The process of one lithospheric plate descending beneath another. The term was introduced by André Amstutz (1951). The idea of subduction had earlier roots in Otto Ampherer’s concept of a crustal “swallowing zone” (Verschluckungs-zone), well illustrated by Ampherer and Hammer (1911).
In a subduction zone, one of the plates, known as the subducting plate, is usually composed of denser oceanic crust. The other plate, known as the overriding plate, can be either oceanic or continental in nature. As the subducting plate is forced beneath the overriding plate due to the difference in density, it descends into the Earth’s mantle.
The process of one lithospheric plate descending beneath another. The term was introduced by André Amstutz (1951). The idea of subduction had earlier roots in Otto Ampherer’s concept of a crustal “swallowing zone” (Verschluckungs-zone), well illustrated by Ampherer and Hammer (1911).
In a subduction zone, one of the plates, known as the subducting plate, is usually composed of denser oceanic crust. The other plate, known as the overriding plate, can be either oceanic or continental in nature. As the subducting plate is forced beneath the overriding plate due to the difference in density, it descends into the Earth’s mantle.