A subduction zone is where two tectonic plates collide, forcing one plate to go beneath the other and into the mantle. This process typically occurs at convergent boundaries, where an oceanic plate collides with a continental or oceanic plate. The subducting plate sinks into the mantle due to its higher density compared with the overriding plate.
The interactions of the plates at subduction zones result in large-magnitude earthquakes and tsunamis. Examples are the 1960 Valdivia Chile M9.5, Good Friday Alaska M9.2, 2004 Sumatra M9.1, and 2011 TÅhoku Japan M9.1 earthquakes.
