| Simultaneously, the vast Tethyn oceanic crust, to its northeast, began to subduct under the Eurasian plate. |
| As the plates subduct they tend to lock with the overriding plate, thereby building up tectonic strain. |
| The Kula Plate is an ancient tectonic plate that used to subduct under Alaska. |
| Thus, as oceanic lithosphere formed by supercontinent dispersal ages, it has a tendency to subduct, possibly at fracture zones. |
| Only the thinner, denser slabs of oceanic crust will subduct, however. |
| Upon its arrival in the subduction zone, this relatively buoyant continental crust does not subduct to any appreciable degree. |
