Seismogenic Zone of Subduction Thrust Faults

Subduction zones, one of the three types of plate boundaries, return Earth''s surface to its deep interior. Because subduction zones are gently inclined at shallow depths and depress Earth''s temperature gradient, they have the largest seismogenic area of any plate boundary. Consequently, subduction zones generate Earth''s largest earthquakes and most destructive tsunamis. As tragically demonstrat...