Subduction

Subduction is a process that happens when the tectonic plates that make up the Earth’s crust collide: one tectonic plate slides under the other.

Subduction is a mostly invisible, slow-moving but powerful process that alters the shape of continents, creates mountains, ocean trenches and volcanoes, and generates earthquakes and tsunamis.

Slow-moving, powerful processes like subduction are hard to see, but they alter the very shape of the terrain, occasionally causing major disruptive crises. 

For example, the first digital camera was invented in 1975, but sales of digital cameras didn’t surpass film cameras until 2003. Emotional conflicts on a team might remain simmering below the surface, until one day they erupt.

What slow but powerful processes are creating and changing the landscape you’re navigating? Are there deep rifts or conflicts lurking beneath the surface? What kinds of earthquakes or tsunamis might they cause?

See also: Impact, Tipping point, Momentum, Conflict, Layer cake, Iceberg.

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