A depression in the ocean floor that runs parallel to a destructive plate boundary is called what?

A depression in the ocean floor that runs parallel to a destructive plate boundary is called what?

• A. Niche
• B. Mulch
• C. Ocean trench
• D. Mineral

Answer: (C)

The main idea here is that deep, long depressions on the ocean floor form at destructive plate boundaries where one plate sinks beneath another (subduction). As the oceanic plate dives, it creates a trench—a narrow, very deep groove that runs along the edge of the boundary, often parallel to it. This ocean trench is the obvious feature you’d expect to find in that setting, and it’s much deeper and more extensive than the surrounding seafloor. Niche, mulch, and mineral don’t describe this ocean-floor feature. A niche is a habitat or role, mulch is organic material on soil, and a mineral is a substance found in rocks. So the correct term for that depression is an ocean trench.

The main idea here is that deep, long depressions on the ocean floor form at destructive plate boundaries where one plate sinks beneath another (subduction). As the oceanic plate dives, it creates a trench—a narrow, very deep groove that runs along the edge of the boundary, often parallel to it. This ocean trench is the obvious feature you’d expect to find in that setting, and it’s much deeper and more extensive than the surrounding seafloor.

Niche, mulch, and mineral don’t describe this ocean-floor feature. A niche is a habitat or role, mulch is organic material on soil, and a mineral is a substance found in rocks. So the correct term for that depression is an ocean trench.