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Continents are pulled into subduction zones by the sinking oceanic plate they are attached to. Where continents are attached to oceanic plates with no subduction, there is a deep basin that accumulates thick suites of sedimentary and volcanic rocks known as a passive margin.
(Definitions of "continents" are a physical and cultural construct dating back centuries, long before the advent or even knowledge of plate tectonics; thus, defining a "continent" falls into the realm of physical and cultural geography (i.e. geopolitics), while continental plate definitions fall under plate tectonics in the realm of geology.)
Zealandia, Earth’s eighth continent, was mostly lost to the sea. ... Well, it did—until about 95 percent of the mass sunk under the ocean. While the majority of Zealandia may never host ...
A convergent boundary (also known as a destructive boundary) is an area on Earth where two or more lithospheric plates collide. One plate eventually slides beneath the other, a process known as subduction. The subduction zone can be defined by a plane where many earthquakes occur, called the Wadati–Benioff zone. [1]
The geography of the continents bordering the Atlantic Ocean was the first evidence suggesting the existence of Pangaea. The seemingly close fit of the coastlines of North and South America with Europe and Africa was remarked on almost as soon as these coasts were charted.
Obduction, which is less common, normally occurs in plate collisions at orogenic belts (some of the material from the subducting oceanic plate is emplaced onto the continental plate) [4] or back-arc basins (regions where the edge of a continent is pulled away from the rest of the continent due to the stress of plate collision). [5]
Under this scheme, most of the island countries and territories in the Pacific Ocean are grouped together with the continent of Australia to form the geographical region of Oceania. [2] In geology, a continent is defined as "one of Earth's major landmasses, including both dry land and continental shelves". [3]
Zealandia, considered a candidate for the Earth’s eighth continent, was mostly lost to the sea. ... Well, it did—until about 95 percent of the mass sunk under the ocean.