Which statement accurately describes one aspect of plate tectonics that involves subduction and seafloor spreading?

Question

Older crust is melted at subduction zones.
Crust is created at the coastlines of continents.
Continents do not move as a result of seafloor spreading and subduction.
Crust is created as the mantle hardens under the lithosphere.

Answer 1

The statement that most accurately describes an aspect of plate tectonics involving subduction and seafloor spreading is:

Older crust is melted at subduction zones.

In subduction zones, an oceanic plate is forced beneath another plate (which can be either oceanic or continental) into the mantle, where it begins to melt. This process is essential for recycling the Earth's crust and plays a significant role in the plate tectonic cycle. The other options either misrepresent or are incorrect in the context of plate tectonics.