Which of the following tectonic plate boundaries is primarily responsible for the formation of the Mariana Trench, the deepest oceanic trench on Earth?

💡 Solution & Explanation

The Mariana Trench was formed along a convergent plate boundary where the denser Pacific Plate subducts beneath the smaller Mariana Plate, descending deep into the mantle. Divergent boundaries create mid-ocean ridges. Transform faults produce strike-slip earthquakes without creating deep trenches. Continent-continent convergence builds towering mountain chains like the Himalayas. Subduction zones are frequently associated with intense seismic activity and volcanic island arcs.