Final answer:
The statement is true; oceanic crust, being denser than continental crust, subducts during plate convergence. This process occurs in subduction zones, plays a vital role in Earth's crust recycling and contributes to geological phenomena like trenches and volcanoes.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that ocean crust is denser than continental crust, thus will subduct when the two converge, is true. Oceanic crust, mostly composed of basalt, is denser and generally thinner than continental crust, which is composed largely of granite. During the convergence of tectonic plates, the denser oceanic plate is forced beneath the continental plate, creating a subduction zone, which is often marked by an ocean trench, such as the Japan trench.
Subduction zones play a crucial role in the recycling of Earth's crust. As the oceanic plate subducts, it is subject to high pressure and temperature, causing it to melt and contribute to convection currents in the mantle that balance the creation and destruction of crustal material. This activity happens along the boundaries of the massive, irregularly shaped tectonic plates making up Earth's lithosphere, where plates are either forced together or pulled apart.
The process not only shapes the Earth's surface, giving rise to mountains, trenches, and volcanoes, but also maintains the balance between the newly formed crust at rift zones and the crust that is destroyed at subduction zones.