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A gas main being laid in a trench. A trench is a type of excavation or depression in the ground that is generally deeper than it is wide (as opposed to a swale or a bar ditch), and narrow compared with its length (as opposed to a simple hole or pit). [1] In geology, trenches result from erosion by rivers or by geological movement of tectonic ...
A trench marks the position at which the flexed, subducting slab begins to descend beneath another lithospheric slab. Trenches are generally parallel to and about 200 km (120 mi) from a volcanic arc. Much of the fluid trapped in sediments of the subducting slab returns to the surface at the oceanic trench, producing mud volcanoes and cold seeps.
The arc-trench complex is the surface expression of a much deeper structure. Though not directly accessible, the deeper portions can be studied using geophysics and geochemistry . Subduction zones are defined by an inclined zone of earthquakes , the Wadati–Benioff zone , that dips away from the trench and extends down below the volcanic arc ...
ocean trench A long, narrow, very deep depression in the ocean floor at the junction of two tectonic plates, where one plate is subducted steeply beneath the other, often penetrating the mantle. A bathymetric map looking west across the Caribbean Sea. The purple area is the Puerto Rico Trench, the deepest trench in the Atlantic Ocean. oceanography
This glossary of geography terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts used in geography and related fields, including Earth science, oceanography, cartography, and human geography, as well as those describing spatial dimension, topographical features, natural resources, and the collection, analysis, and visualization of geographic data.
Oceanic trenches are caused by subduction (when one tectonic plate is pushed underneath another) of oceanic crust beneath either the oceanic crust or continental crust. A basin formed by an ice sheet : an area depressed by the weight of the ice sheet resulting in post-glacial rebound after the ice melts (the area adjacent to the ice sheet may ...
The trench bottom is 3–16 km (1.9–9.9 mi) wide and is 600–900 m (2,000–3,000 ft) above sea level. The general orientation of the Trench is an almost straight 150/330° geographic north vector and has become convenient as a visual guide for aviators heading north or south.
[11] [12] Marianas Trench is an example of a deep slab, thereby creating the deepest trench in the world established by a steep slab angle. [13] Slab breakoff occurs during a collision between oceanic and continental lithosphere, [14] allowing for a slab tear; an example of slab breakoff occurs within the Himalayan subduction zone. [4]