How do convergent plate boundaries work?

At convergent plate boundaries, tectonic plates move toward one another. When this happens, the process of subduction typically occurs, carrying the edge of one plate down under the other and into the mantle. This sinking motion is primarily driven by the negative buoyancy of the dense subducting lithosphere.

What we know

• Along convergent plate boundaries, subduction carries the edge of one plate down under the other plate and into the mantle. [3, 5]
• Subduction occurs because cold, rigid oceanic lithosphere is slightly denser than the underlying hot, ductile asthenosphere. [5]
• Stable subduction is driven mostly by the negative buoyancy of the dense subducting lithosphere, sinking largely under its own weight. [3, 5]
• Convergent boundary processes lead to geological activity such as earthquakes, volcanism triggered by released fluids, and mountain-building. [3, 5]

Still open

• The relative importance and interaction of factors driving plate motion, such as active convection, upwelling inside the mantle, and tidal drag of the Moon, remain subjects of debate.

Where to go next

• what caused itWhat drives the movement of tectonic plates?
• what followedWhat geological features form at subduction zones?
• compared withHow does seafloor spreading balance crust creation and destruction?
• a case in pointWhat is the Cascadia subduction zone?
• the bigger pictureWhat is the Eurasian Plate?
• an unexpected connectionDo other planets have plate tectonics like Earth?Although Earth is currently the only planet known to have active plate tectonics, moons like Jupiter's Europa exhibit interacting ice crustal plates.

Sources

• [1]Eurasian Plate (Wikidata Q188521) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Eurasian plate · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Plate tectonics · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Juan de Fuca plate · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Subduction · CC BY-SA 4.0