Earth and Space Sciences Regents, June 2026, question 38
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What the figure shows
The question uses the same model of the area around the Mariana Trench, which shows the West Mariana Ridge, a volcanic island arc above a zone of melting, and the Mariana Trench where the Pacific Plate goes down under the Mariana Plate. Each of the four choices is a table with two columns, Features and Process. Each lists the same three features (Divergent boundary, Volcanic island arc, Mariana Trench) and labels each one either Constructive or Destructive, in a different combination for each choice.
How to think about it
A constructive process adds new crust to Earth's surface. A destructive process removes crust from the surface. Decide for each of the three features whether crust is being made there or being taken away, then find the table that matches all three.
Plate interactions that cause plates to move also form features on Earth’s surface. Which table accurately identifies the process associated with the complex features found in the model? Features Divergent boundary Volcanic island arc Mariana Trench Constructive Constructive Destructive Process Features Divergent boundary Volcanic island arc Mariana Trench Destructive Constructive Destructive Process Features Divergent boundary Volcanic island arc Mariana Trench Constructive Destructive Constructive Process Features Divergent boundary Volcanic island arc Mariana Trench Destructive Destructive Constructive Process