how is plate tectonics responsible for the formation of earth’s deepest ocean trench?

Two plates moved past each other in opposite directions
A plate moved over a hot spot in the mantle
A denser plate converged with a lighter plate
Two plates pulled apart from each other

1 answer

Plate tectonics is responsible for the formation of Earth's deepest ocean trenches primarily through the process of subduction, which occurs when a denser plate converges with a lighter plate.

In this context, when an oceanic plate (which is denser) collides with a continental plate (which is lighter), the oceanic plate is forced down into the mantle beneath the continental plate. This downward movement creates a trench in the ocean floor. The Mariana Trench, for example, is the deepest ocean trench and was formed by the subduction of the Pacific Plate beneath the Mariana Plate.

So, from your options, the correct answer is:

A denser plate converged with a lighter plate.