In the Context of Plate Tectonics, What Is a Subduction

question 29

Multiple Choice

In the context of plate tectonics, what is a subduction zone?

• A)a place where two plates are slipping sideways against one another
• B)a place where two plates are pulling apart
• C)a place where two continental plates are colliding
• D)a place where a seafloor plate is sliding under a continental plate

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Definitions:

Fresh Water

Water that has low concentrations of dissolved salts (salinity) and other total dissolved solids, commonly found in rivers, lakes, streams, and underground aquifers.

Inverted Ecological Pyramids

describe situations in ecosystems where higher trophic levels have greater biomass or numbers than lower levels, contrary to the typical pyramid shape.

Aquatic Ecosystems

Environments in water where organisms interact with each other and with their surrounding physical environment, including oceans, lakes, and rivers.

Nitrification

A microbial process by which ammonia is oxidized to nitrites and then nitrates, a crucial part of the nitrogen cycle in soils.