Convergent boundary - Definition and Overview

In plate tectonics, a convergent boundary (convergent fault boundary, convergent plate boundary, or active margin) is where two tectonic plates slide towards each other and usually collide forming either a subduction zone with its associated island arc or an orogenic belt and associated mountain range. When the two plates collide, one of the plates is pushed underneath the other (subduction). This then forms trenches in which the Earth's extra crust is recycled. There are three types of convergence: oceanic plate-continental plate convergence, oceanic plate-oceanic plate convergence, and continental-continental plate convergence.

Examples:

• the collision between the Eurasian Plate and the Indo-Australian Plate which is forming the Himalayas.
• the collision between the northern part of the Pacific Plate and the NW North American Plate which is forming the Aleutian Islands.

See also

• Plate tectonics
• List of tectonic plates
• List of tectonic plate interactions

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