convergent margin

In plate tectonics, the boundary or active zone between two lithospheric plates that are moving towards one another. Convergent margins are characterized by folds, reverse faulting, destructive high-magnitude earthquakes, and in some cases volcanic activity.

There are three types of convergent margins: ocean-ocean, ocean-continent, and continent-continent (referring to the types of plates converging). Both ocean-ocean and ocean-continent convergences result in subduction zones. Examples include the Lesser Antillies (ocean-ocean) and the Andes (ocean-continent). Most ocean-ocean and ocean-continent convergence occurs around the edge of the Pacific Ocean. Because continental crust is too buoyant to sink into the mantle, continent-continent convergences cause large-scale folding, resulting in the formation of mountain ranges such as the Himalayas.