Discuss the Central America Trench.

region is the Central America Trench. This trench is a major subduction zone that stretches from central Mexico to Costa Rica. It extends 1,700 miles, has a depth of 21,880 feet, and covers an area of 37,000 square miles. The northern section of the Central America Trench is alongside the coast of Mexico. The Northern part is also known to be more shallow. the southern part is deeper and is connected to volcanic activity. The Encyclopedia Britannica uses the example of an eruption in 1982 of El Chichon Volcano in the southern part of Mexico. The Central America Trench is on the Cocos Plate. The trench is also the boundary between the Cocos, Rivera, and Nazca plates on one side, with the North American and Caribbean Plates on the other. The Cocos Plate was created when the Farallon broke into two pieces. This breaking created both the Cocos plate and the Nazca plate. The Cocos plate also broke into pieces, which created the Rivera plate. The Rivera plate is considered a “micro-plate” because it is believed to be a small fragmentation of the Cocos plate and subducts under the North American plate. Subduction of the Cocos plate (Rivera plate) beneath the North American plate along the Central America Trench in Mexico generates large earthquakes about every 30+ years. The Central America Trench is a seismic active area, meaning that earthquakes do happen over a period of time. That suggests if you desire to go sight seeing, be careful! A geology-scholar named Jose Diego Caceres Calix described the Central America Trench as a “tectonically complex” area. The majority of earthquakes involving the trench happen along the Caribbean-Cocos and Caribbean-North American plate boundaries. There are even two recorded earthquakes that reached magnitudes of eight back in 1902 and 1942. There is a chain of volcanoes that go from Northern Panama to western Mexico. There also exists a connection between plate tectonics and volcanic activity. Many volcanoes form at the boundaries of tectonic plates. Divergent plate boundaries and convergent plat boundaries are most likely to see volcanic activity. The Central America Trench is a convergent plate boundary because the Cocos plate subducts under the Caribbean plate to form the trench. Volcanoes at convergent plate boundaries are found all around the Pacific Ocean Basin, especially at the edges of the Pacific, Cocos, and Nazca plates. Fun fact! the belt of volcanoes in that area is known as the Central America Volcanic Arc. In conclusion, the plate tectonic setting of the Central America Trench has a geographical association with both earthquakes and volcanic activity. Over-time, plates broke into new plates and subduction of those plates has made the Central America Trench we see today. Give a response to this article.