Subduction Zones are defined as:

Subduction Zones are defined as:

• A. Places where plates stretch and thin
• B. Areas where plates converge but both rise
• C. Places where plates are pushed down into the upper mantle
• D. Regions where plates drift without interaction

Answer: (C)

Subduction zones happen where tectonic plates collide and one plate is forced down into the mantle because it is more dense than the adjacent plate. This sinking process creates features like deep ocean trenches and volcanic activity along the edge. The statement that best describes subduction zones is the one that says plates are pushed down into the upper mantle. That downward motion is the defining action of subduction. Other descriptions don’t fit subduction: stretching and thinning occur at divergent boundaries with plates moving apart; converging boundaries can involve both blocks rising in some collisions, but subduction specifically requires one plate to descend; and drifting without interaction refers to boundaries where plates slide past each other or move independently, with no subduction involved.

Subduction zones happen where tectonic plates collide and one plate is forced down into the mantle because it is more dense than the adjacent plate. This sinking process creates features like deep ocean trenches and volcanic activity along the edge.

The statement that best describes subduction zones is the one that says plates are pushed down into the upper mantle. That downward motion is the defining action of subduction.

Other descriptions don’t fit subduction: stretching and thinning occur at divergent boundaries with plates moving apart; converging boundaries can involve both blocks rising in some collisions, but subduction specifically requires one plate to descend; and drifting without interaction refers to boundaries where plates slide past each other or move independently, with no subduction involved.