oceanic plate
Dense crustal segment
An oceanic plate is a section of Earth's crust that lies beneath the ocean floor, composed primarily of dense basaltic rock.
These plates are thinner and heavier than continental plates, which makes them sink beneath continental plates when they collide—a process called subduction.
The movement of oceanic plates drives earthquakes, volcanic activity, and the gradual reshaping of ocean basins over millions of years.
- tectonicOf crustal forces
- tectonic shiftFundamental structural transformation
- subductionPlate descending beneath another
- subduction zoneWhere one plate slides under another
- crustHard outer layer
mantle · seafloor · spreading · basalt · trench · ring of fire · magma · molten rock · lithosphere · continental · collision · boundary · ridge · volcanic · earthquake · Pacific · diving · dense
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