Question

1. In your own words explain what happens at a subduction zone. 2. In your own words explain what happens at a mid-ocean ridge. 3. At a subduction zone what causes magma to rise?

Answer 1

1. The subduction zone serves as the meeting point for two tectonic plates.

2. At the Mid- Ocean ridge, decompression melting occurs.

3 What causes the magma to rise is the increase in pressure caused by collection of gases by the magma.

Step-by-step explanation:

Subduction zone is define as a zone where tectonic plates ( an oceanic plate slides beneath a continental plate) meets and contributes to the rise of magma to the surface in geological sciences.

At the Mid - Oceanic ridge, decompression melting occurs. As mantle ascends beneath the mid-ocean ridge, less and less rock lies above it, so large pressure changes occur, which leads to melting. The melt is less dense than the solid, and rises to the surface to form the oceanic crust.

At the subduction zone the magma that is formed is usually made up of silica rich lava. Thick silica rich magma does not release the gasses very easily so they build up inside the magma chamber. As the gasses collect in the chamber, the pressure rises. It is possible for the pressure to rise so much that the chamber cannot contain the magma and it erupts explosively.