Ocean trenches form over millions or billions of years. Which statement accurately describes how ocean trenches form?(1 point)
Ocean trenches form through the process of subduction, where one tectonic plate is forced underneath another plate at a convergent boundary. This process happens gradually over millions or billions of years, as the subducting plate is slowly pushed deeper into the mantle. As the plate sinks, it creates a trench-like depression on the ocean floor, known as an ocean trench.
Ocean trenches are formed through a process known as subduction. Subduction occurs when one tectonic plate, usually an oceanic plate, is forced underneath another plate, typically a continental plate, due to the convergence of these plates at a plate boundary. The oceanic plate, being denser than the continental plate, sinks into the mantle where it eventually melts. As a result of this subduction process, a deep and elongated depression known as an ocean trench is formed on the ocean floor. It is important to note that the formation of ocean trenches takes place over millions or billions of years as tectonic plates slowly move and interact with each other.
To accurately describe how ocean trenches form, we need to consider the process of subduction. Ocean trenches are formed at convergent plate boundaries, where two tectonic plates collide.
When an oceanic plate meets a continental plate or another oceanic plate, the denser oceanic plate usually sinks beneath the less dense plate in a process known as subduction. This is because oceanic lithosphere is thinner and denser than continental lithosphere.
As one plate subducts beneath the other, it descends into the Earth's mantle, forming a deep trench on the ocean floor. The subducting plate continues to sink due to gravity, causing the trench to deepen over time. This process occurs over millions or billions of years as tectonic plates slowly move and interact with each other.
Therefore, the accurate statement explaining how ocean trenches form would be: Ocean trenches form as a result of subduction, where one tectonic plate sinks beneath another, causing the ocean floor to form a deep trench over millions or billions of years.