Accretionary wedge

Accretionary wedge

25th April 2025

When one tectonic plate subducts or dives beneath another, an accretionary wedge is a pile of sediments which forms above the fault line where these two plates meet. This sediment pile forms when the plate on top scrapes sediments from the subducting plate. Sometimes there are thrust faults within the accretionary wedge (such as in the below diagram) that can slip during earthquakes: 

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