Middle America Trench subduction interface

E780320
subduction zone

The Middle America Trench subduction interface is a major convergent plate boundary off the Pacific coast of Central America and Mexico where the Cocos Plate is forced beneath the North American and Caribbean Plates, generating powerful megathrust earthquakes.

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Observed surface forms (1)

Surface form Occurrences
Middle America subduction zone 1

Statements (45)

Predicate Object
instanceOf subduction zone ⓘ
approximateLength ~2700 km ⓘ
associatedWith episodic tremor and slip ⓘ
interplate earthquakes ⓘ
slow slip events ⓘ
tsunamis ⓘ
associatedWithTrench Middle America Trench NERFINISHED ⓘ
controls seismic hazard in Central America ⓘ
seismic hazard in southern Mexico ⓘ
deformationStyle compressional ⓘ
dipDirection northeast ⓘ
drives arc volcanism in Central America ⓘ
arc volcanism in southern Mexico ⓘ
faultType thrust fault ⓘ
generates megathrust earthquakes ⓘ
hasSegment Costa Rican–Panamanian segment NERFINISHED ⓘ
Guatemalan segment ⓘ
Mexican segment ⓘ
Salvadoran–Nicaraguan segment NERFINISHED ⓘ
hazardType subduction megathrust hazard ⓘ
influences coastal uplift and subsidence in Central America ⓘ
coastal uplift and subsidence in southern Mexico ⓘ
knownFor frequent large interplate earthquakes ⓘ
linkedTo Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt NERFINISHED ⓘ
volcanic arc of Central America ⓘ
locatedIn eastern Pacific Ocean NERFINISHED ⓘ
locatedOffCoastOf Costa Rica NERFINISHED ⓘ
El Salvador NERFINISHED ⓘ
Guatemala NERFINISHED ⓘ
Mexico NERFINISHED ⓘ
Nicaragua NERFINISHED ⓘ
Panama NERFINISHED ⓘ
maximumEarthquakeMagnitude >8 ⓘ
overridingPlate Caribbean Plate NERFINISHED ⓘ
North American Plate NERFINISHED ⓘ
partOf Pacific Ring of Fire ⓘ
relativePlateMotion convergence of Cocos Plate with Caribbean Plate ⓘ
convergence of Cocos Plate with North American Plate ⓘ
researchField geodynamics ⓘ
seismology ⓘ
tectonics ⓘ
seismogenicZoneDepth to ~40–60 km ⓘ
subductingPlate Cocos Plate NERFINISHED ⓘ
tectonicSetting convergent margin ⓘ
subduction margin ⓘ

Referenced by (2)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

1985 Mexico City earthquake → locatedOn → Middle America Trench subduction interface ⓘ
Cocos–North America plate boundary → partOf → Middle America Trench subduction interface ⓘ
this entity surface form: Middle America subduction zone