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island arc
(redirected from Island arcs)

   Also found in: Encyclopedia, Wikipedia 0.01 sec.
island arc
n
(Earth Sciences / Physical Geography) an arc-shaped chain of islands, such as the Aleutian Islands or the Japanese Islands, usually lying at the edge of a Benioff zone, indicating volcanic activity where the oceanic lithosphere is descending into the earth's interior

island arc
A usually curved chain of volcanic islands bounded on the convex side by a deep oceanic trench. Island arcs form in the overriding tectonic plates of subduction zones as the result of rising melt from the downgoing plate. The arcs are curved because of the curvature of the Earth. The Aleutian Islands, in Alaska, are an island arc. An island arc is a kind of volcanic arc.


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Mapping and application of geochemical discrimination tools led to recognition of the diversity among ophiolites and the realization that ophiolites could be generated in different geodynamic environments, not only at mid-ocean ridges, but also in island arcs (Miyashiro 1973).
Exotic Terrane Accretion and Blueschist Emplacement Recent advances in the study of orogenic belts include discovery of many exotic geologic bodies such as fragments of oceanic plateaus or island arcs that have traveled great distances to their present position.
Volcanic-Hosted Massive Sulfide Deposits A subduction signature distinguishes the sediments, lavas, and sulfide deposits of island arcs and back-arc basins from their mid-ocean equivalents.
 
 
 
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