Continental Airline Tickets

How does a continental plate collide with an oceanic plate, as in South America?

I am learning about the formation of the continents. I guess it was never made clear what the continents are in relation to the oceanic plates. Basically, how can a continental plate collide with an oceanic plate if it is under water?

Public Comments

1. Most plate boundaries are actually underwater. There is a portion of the South American plate, west of the *continent* of South America, that is underwater. It is colliding with the Pacific plate. This collision between oceanic crust and continental crust will create a subduction zone. The oceanic crust will dive beneath the continental crust, because it is denser. The continental crust "floats" over it. This is where you get dry volcanic mountain ranges. But that's how. The Himalayas are really the only place on Earth where you can observe a non-submarine collision. BUT -- before the continents collided, there was oceanic crust between them. This is proven by the fact that this rock was folded, and you can find fossils of marine animals thousands of feet up in the mountains. So... it's all underwater to start with.