The chaotic accumulation of deformed oceanic sediments, and scraps of ocean crust found plastered onto a convergent continental margins, like that where the Cocos plate subducts beneath western Mexico, is called_________ .
A) a wedgie
B) an accretionary wedge
C) the scrapie
D) a continental margin arc

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

An accretionary wedge forms at convergent plate boundaries where one tectonic plate moves beneath another (subduction). The sediments and pieces of oceanic crust accumulate and are plastered onto the edge of the overriding plate, creating the accretionary wedge. This process is observed where the Cocos plate subducts beneath western Mexico.

The Chaotic Accumulation of Deformed Oceanic Sediments, and Scraps of Ocean