Where does cooler older oceanic lithosphere sink into the mantle?
Cooler older oceanic lithosphere sinks into the mantle at subduction zones along convergent plate boundaries.
Where in the ocean does oceanic lithosphere sink into the mantle quizlet?
Sinking of oceanic lithosphere into the mantle at a subduction zone.
When new oceanic lithosphere is generated at an oceanic ridge what happens to the plate?
When new oceanic lithosphere is generated at an oceanic ridge, what happens to the two plates on either side of the ridge? The plates get larger.
Where is oceanic lithosphere destroyed quizlet?
Ocean crust is destroyed at the mid-ocean ridge. Ocean crust is created at deep sea trenches.
What is a divergent boundary?
A divergent boundary occurs when two tectonic plates move away from each other. Along these boundaries, earthquakes are common and magma (molten rock) rises from the Earth's mantle to the surface, solidifying to create new oceanic crust.
Are the oldest rocks located along the mid-ocean ridge or along the edges of the ocean basin?
Oceanic crust is recycled at subduction zones before getting too old. The OLDEST band of rocks are found along the mid-ocean ridges while the YOUNGEST band of rocks are found far away from the ridge.
Why does oceanic lithosphere sink at subduction zones?
slabs of oceanic lithosphere sink at subduction zones because the subducted slab is denser than the underlying athenosphere. Earth's gravity tugs at the slab, drawing the rest of the plate toward the subduction zone.
Is a force produced by the sinking of cold oceanic lithosphere back into the mantle?
Convection Currents in the mantle provide the basic driving forces for plate motions. The sinking of cold ocean lithosphere directly drives the motions of mantle convection through slab-pull and ridge-push. Some scientists think mantle plumes are involved in the upward flow of rock in the mantle.
Where does old oceanic lithosphere sink back into the earth?
Subduction zones Subduction zones are where the cold oceanic lithosphere sinks back into the mantle and is recycled. They are found at convergent plate boundaries, where the oceanic lithosphere of one plate converges with the less dense lithosphere of another plate.
Where does old lithosphere sink back into the earth?
Subduction zones form where two plates converge and one begins sliding under the other. As old lithosphere is recycled back into the mantle at subduction zones and new lithosphere is formed at spreading centers, the balance of lithosphere on Earth remains relatively constant.
Where is older lithosphere destroyed?
subduction zones Old oceanic lithosphere is destroyed when it subducts or dives beneath adjacent plates at subduction zones. Oceanic trenches are the topographic expression of these subduction zones. Oceanic lithosphere behaves differently from continental crust, being denser.
Where is the oldest oceanic lithosphere found?
The Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is home to what could be the world's oldest oceanic crust, an undisturbed section of Earth's outermost shell that scientists say is about 340 million years old.
What is oceanic oceanic divergent?
Divergent boundaries are spreading boundaries, where new oceanic crust is created to fill in the space as the plates move apart. Most divergent boundaries are located along mid-ocean oceanic ridges (although some are on land).
What happens at an oceanic oceanic divergent boundary?
A divergent boundary occurs when two tectonic plates move away from each other. Along these boundaries, earthquakes are common and magma (molten rock) rises from the Earth's mantle to the surface, solidifying to create new oceanic crust.
Why does the oceanic crust lithosphere sink under a continental piece of crust?
When an oceanic plate converges with a continental plate, the oceanic crust will always subduct under the continental crust; this is because oceanic crust is naturally denser. Convergent boundaries are commonly associated with larger earthquakes and higher volcanic activity.
What happens when the oceanic plate sinks into the mantle?
As the ocean crust sinks deeper into the mantle the pressure increases (the temperature of the ocean crust rocks increases more slowly because rocks are poor conductors of heat).
Why do oceanic plates sink?
The lithosphere grows colder and denser over time, Dr. Stark said. An oceanic plate thus eventually becomes less buoyant than the mantle below, so it sinks, dragging the rest of the plate sideways and down. This begins a process of collision with the adjacent plate, a phenomenon called subduction.
Where does old oceanic lithosphere sink back into the Earth?
Subduction zones Subduction zones are where the cold oceanic lithosphere sinks back into the mantle and is recycled. They are found at convergent plate boundaries, where the oceanic lithosphere of one plate converges with the less dense lithosphere of another plate.
Where does old lithosphere sink back into the Earth?
Subduction zones form where two plates converge and one begins sliding under the other. As old lithosphere is recycled back into the mantle at subduction zones and new lithosphere is formed at spreading centers, the balance of lithosphere on Earth remains relatively constant.
Why do oceanic lithospheric plates sink at subduction zones?
Young oceanic lithosphere is hot and buoyant (low density) when it forms at a midocean ridge. But as it spreads away from the ridge and cools and contracts (becomse denser) it is able to sink into the hotter underlying mantle. There is a deep ocean trench where the oceanic plate bends downward.
Why does the oceanic crust sink?
Ocean water can be trapped in ocean crust, contributing to its density. Because ocean crust is more dense than continental crust, it will sink beneath continents if tectonic forces push the oceanic crust into the continent.
Why does oceanic crust sink below continental crust?
When an oceanic plate converges with a continental plate, the oceanic crust will always subduct under the continental crust; this is because oceanic crust is naturally denser. Convergent boundaries are commonly associated with larger earthquakes and higher volcanic activity.
How old is the oldest oceanic lithosphere?
around 340 million years old The world's oldest oceanic crust – around 340 million years old – lies at the bottom of the eastern Mediterranean Sea, according to a geologist in Israel.
What happens to older oceanic crust?
Generally Oceanic crust is destroyed at subduction zones. The oldest Oceanic crust is pushed and pulled underneath continental crusts which destroys the Oceanic Crust while the continental crust survives.
Where does oceanic oceanic convergence occur?
Examples of ocean-ocean convergent zones are subduction of the Pacific Plate south of Alaska (creating the Aleutian Islands) and under the Philippine Plate, where it creates the Marianas Trench, the deepest part of the ocean.
What is the location where sinking of a plate occurs is called?
The location where sinking of a plate occurs is called a subduction zone. The type of convergence — called by some a very slow "collision" — that takes place between plates depends on the kind of lithosphere involved.
Where oceanic lithosphere is colliding with continental lithosphere?
oceanic – continental lithosphere: A good example is at the trench along the west coast of the South American continent where oceanic lithosphere of the Pacific (actually the small Nazca plate) is being subducted (sinking) eastward beneath the South American plate and continent.
When a plate sinks into the mantle What happens?
Where two tectonic plates meet at a subduction zone, one bends and slides underneath the other, curving down into the mantle. (The mantle is the hotter layer under the crust.) Tectonic plates can transport both continental crust and oceanic crust, or they may be made of only one kind of crust.
Where is oceanic lithosphere destroyed?
subduction zones Old oceanic lithosphere is destroyed when it subducts or dives beneath adjacent plates at subduction zones. Oceanic trenches are the topographic expression of these subduction zones. Oceanic lithosphere behaves differently from continental crust, being denser.
When the crust sinks down into the mantle What happens to it?
As the ocean crust sinks deeper into the mantle the pressure increases (the temperature of the ocean crust rocks increases more slowly because rocks are poor conductors of heat). At depths of around 100 km beneath the surface, the pressure is great enough for the hydrous minerals to undergo metamorphism.