| In addition, there is a thin veneer of sediments covering the subducting plates, which contain large volumes of unbound pore water and water and carbonate-bearing minerals. |
| The buoyancy force was calculated from the potential energy difference between the overriding continental plate and the subducting oceanic plate. |
| These zones are now known as Benioff zones and mark the position of the gradual destruction of the subducting plate. |
| A trench marks the position at which the flexed, subducting slab begins to descend beneath another lithospheric slab. |
| Part of this complexity can be related to the presence of irregularities on the subducting plates, such as aseismic ridges and arc terranes. |
| This transfers material from the forearc to the subducting plate and can be accomplished by frontal erosion or basal erosion. |
