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When two plates converge, the denser oceanic plate (the subducting plate) slides beneath the less dense continental plate (the overriding plate). As the subducted lithosphere goes deeper into the Earth's interior, it undergoes deformation, compaction, metamorphism, and partial melting, generating magma. This magma can rise and form volcanic arcs at the Earth's surface. The subduction process also leads to earthquake activity, as pressure build-up results in abrupt shifts between the plates. Over geological time, the subducted lithosphere is further incorporated into the mantle through mantle convection, maintaining the chemical balance between the crust, mantle, and atmosphere, and eventually gets recycled into new oceanic crust via processes like seafloor spreading.