Tectonic plate divergence at a mid-ocean ridge with magma rising and forming new crust.

- The diagram illustrates the process of plate tectonics, specifically the movement and interaction of oceanic plates.
- At the mid-oceanic ridge, magma rises from the molten mantle, creating new oceanic crust as the plates diverge.
- The newly formed oceanic crust moves away from the ridge, cooling and becoming denser over time.
- At the ocean trenches, the older, denser oceanic crust is forced downward into the mantle in a process called subduction.
- As the subducting sea floor descends, it melts due to heat and pressure, generating magma that rises toward the surface.
- This rising magma can lead to volcanic activity, such as andesite volcanoes, often forming island arcs or continental margins above the subduction zone.
- The cycle demonstrates the continuous recycling of the Earth’s crust through seafloor spreading and subduction.