 Convergent boundary, in plate tectonics, a convergent boundary, also known as a destructive plate boundary, is a region of active deformation where two or more tectonic plates or fragments of the lithosphere are near the end of their life cycle. This is in contrast to a constructive plate boundary also known as a mid-ocean reach or spreading center. As a result of pressure, friction, and plate material melting in a mantle, earthquakes and volcanoes are common near destructive boundaries, where subduction zones for an area of continental collision depending on the nature of the plates involved occurs. The subducting plate in the subduction zone is normally oceanic crust, and moves beneath the other plate, which can be made of either oceanic or continental crust. During collisions between two continental plates, large mountain ranges, such as the Himalayas are formed. In other regions, a divergent boundary or transform faults may be present.