... to explain landform development. This essay will also attempt discuss to what extent these geomorphologists see tectonic activity as a primary role in landscape development. Tectonic activity also produces its own landforms. Not only is it responsible for continental positioning but also features such as volcanoes and fault lines. One major feature of tectonic activity is deep ocean trenches. When two oceanic plates collide, it results in the creation of a volcanic island arc and the formation of an ocean trench. The Philippine Island Arc zone and the Tongan Island Arc zone are examples of these. The Tongan ocean trench represents the subduction of the Pacific plate under the Fiji plate. The subducted plate will be slightly denser and so will more readily sink into the mantle. This plate will be forced under at, in the Fiji - Pacific case around 20 degrees. When it reaches a depth of around ...

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