verb
- moving beneath another tectonic plate and sinking into the Earth’s mantle
Usage: geology
Examples
- The oceanic plate is subducting beneath the continental plate.
- Scientists study subducting slabs to understand earthquake patterns.
- The Pacific Plate is subducting under the North American Plate.
- Subducting plates create deep ocean trenches.
- Volcanic activity often occurs where plates are subducting.
- The subducting plate melts as it descends into the mantle.