At subduction zones, slabs of lithosphere sink into Earth’s mantle. Understanding how these slabs fit into mantle convection cells is important because of the role these movements play in plate tectonics. It’s also difficult, because processes deep beneath Earth’s surface cannot be directly measured. 

​ At subduction zones, slabs of lithosphere sink into Earth’s mantle. Understanding how these slabs fit into mantle convection cells is important because of the role these movements play in plate tectonics. It’s also difficult, because processes deep beneath Earth’s surface cannot be directly measured.  Earth Sciences News – Earth and Environmental Sciences 

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