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Where are deep ocean trenches mostly located?
Deep-sea trenches generally lie seaward of and parallel to adjacent island arcs or mountain ranges of the continental margins. They are closely associated with and found in subduction zones—that is, locations where a lithospheric plate bearing oceanic crust slides down into the upper mantle under the force of gravity.
Where do deep ocean trenches occur quizlet?
Where does a Deep-Ocean Trench occur? A convergent plate boundary where one continental plate and one oceanic plate collide.
Where is the deepest trench found?
western Pacific Ocean
The Mariana Trench or Marianas Trench is located in the western Pacific Ocean about 200 kilometres (124 mi) east of the Mariana Islands; it is the deepest oceanic trench on Earth. It is crescent-shaped and measures about 2,550 km (1,580 mi) in length and 69 km (43 mi) in width.
How many ocean trenches are there?
Globally, there are over 50 major ocean trenches covering an area of 1.9 million km2 or about 0.5% of the oceans.
What causes deep ocean trenches to form?
Ocean trenches are a result of tectonic activity, which describes the movement of the Earth’s lithosphere. At many convergent plate boundaries, dense lithosphere melts or slides beneath less-dense lithosphere in a process called subduction, creating a trench.
How are deep ocean trenches created?
Trenches are formed by subduction, a geophysical process in which two or more of Earth’s tectonic plates converge and the older, denser plate is pushed beneath the lighter plate and deep into the mantle, causing the seafloor and outermost crust (the lithosphere) to bend and form a steep, V-shaped depression.
Where are the deepest trenches in the ocean?
Most of the deepest trenches are found in the Pacific Ocean, which overlies the so-called “Ring of Fire”. That region gets the name due to tectonic activity that also spurs the formation of volcanic eruptions deep beneath the water. The Challenger Deep is part of the Mariana Trench in the South Pacific.
Where is the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean?
For example, the Mariana Trench, which lies beneath the Pacific Ocean near the Mariana island chain and not far from the coast of Japan, is the product of what’s called “subduction.” Beneath the trench, the Eurasian plate is sliding over a smaller one called the Philippine Plate, which is sinking into the mantle and melting.
Where do ocean trenches occur in a plate boundary?
In particular, ocean trenches are a feature of convergent plate boundaries, where two or more tectonic plates meet. At many convergent plate boundaries, dense lithosphere melts or slides beneath less-dense lithosphere in a process called subduction, creating a trench.
Are there life forms in the ocean trenches?
The harbor fantastic life forms not seen on the surface, animals and plants that thrive in the extreme conditions of the trenches. It has only been in the past few decades that humans could even consider venturing that deep to explore. A NASA mapping view of the Mariana Trench, which contains the Challenger Deep. NASA Why Do Ocean Trenches Exist?