Briefly explain how density affects subduction
What will be an ideal response?
When two plates converge, the densest plate will be subducted beneath the lighter plate in general. So, for example, oceanic lithosphere will typically subduct beneath continental lithosphere. Continental lithosphere is hard to subduct because it is less dense than the asthenosphere but old oceanic lithosphere is denser than the asthenosphere so it is easy to subduct and older oceanic lithosphere will subduct beneath younger oceanic lithosphere because density increases with age in oceanic lithosphere.
You might also like to view...
About how old are the atoms that make up the body of an 18-year-old student?
What will be an ideal response?
Subsidence inversions are best developed with __________ pressure areas because of the
__________ air motions associated with them. a. high, rising b. high, sinking c. low, rising d. low, sinking
Explain how light and sound waves behave in seawater. What kind of effects do they have on inhabitants of the ocean?
Why does the map in 9.1.3 show South America to be a developing area, yet Chile and Argentina are considered developed countries?
A) Chile and Argentina are barely ranked as developed. B) In terms of global rankings, South America as a whole compared to other defined regions is considered developing. Each region may have a few countries that have very different HDI rankings. C) Map 9.1.2 data was collected 10 years earlier. D) It gives evidence that the ranking system is not very consistent. E) Map 9.1.2 used a different HDI ranking methodology as compared to Map 9.1.3.