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Accretion identification and geology

The gradual accumulation of material on a surface, whether by sediment deposition, tectonic plate addition, or crystal growth. In plate tectonics, accretion refers to the process by which oceanic sediments, island arcs, and fragments of continental crust are scraped off a subducting plate and added to the overriding plate, forming an accretionary wedge. Field: structural geology. Example: The Coast Range of western North America includes multiple accreted terranes.. Related terms: Subduction, Accretionary wedge, Terrane.

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Sources, scope & corrections

These authoritative resources support category-level nomenclature, terminology, identification methods, and safety. When a specimen-specific safety warning appears, the public-health source listed here directly supports that precaution. They are not line-by-line citations for every other property on this entry, and natural specimens vary.

Editorial owner
GeoMiner
Last updated
2026-03-30T15:19:26.747965+00:00
Review status
Published; not independently peer-reviewed
  • USGS Thesaurus — U.S. Geological Survey. Controlled earth-science terminology used to describe USGS information resources.
  • Glossary of Geologic Terms — U.S. National Park Service. Geologic definitions prepared by the NPS Geologic Resources Inventory.

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Common questions

What does Accretion mean in geology?
The gradual accumulation of material on a surface, whether by sediment deposition, tectonic plate addition, or crystal growth. In plate tectonics, accretion refers to the process by which oceanic sediments, island arcs, and fragments of continental crust are scraped off a subducting plate and added to the overriding plate, forming an accretionary wedge.
What is an example of Accretion?
The Coast Range of western North America includes multiple accreted terranes.
Which earth-science field uses the term Accretion?
Accretion is used in structural geology.
Which terms are related to Accretion?
Related terms in this reference are Subduction, Accretionary wedge, Terrane.

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