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Data acquired February 7, 2000 1024 x 768 93 KB - JPEG
Data acquired February 7, 2000 1024 x 768 490 KB - TIFF
The majority of earthquakes and volcanoes around the world occur at the intersection of plate boundaries. This diagram shows the subduction of an ocean plate underneath a continental plate. Earthquakes are caused by the two plates moving relative to each other, and volcanoes are formed when ocean crust, forced under the lighter continental crust, melts and then rises to the Earth's surface.
Robert Simmon, NASA GSFC
Published February 7, 2000 Data acquired February 7, 2000