Search Britannica...
Subscribe Now Login
Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture Money Videos
back-arc basin Geography & Travel Physical Geography of Water
Table of Contents
back-arc basin
geology
Introduction
References & Edit History Print Cite Share Feedback
Related Topics Written by John P. Rafferty
Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Images Article History
back-arc basin The trench “roll back”
process of back-arc basin formation.
Ask the Chatbot a Question
Related Topics: island arc • basin •
Back-arc basin, submarine basin that forms submarine landform
Related Questions behind an island arc. Such basins are typically
See all related content →
What does Earth look like? found along the western margin of the Pacific
Ocean near the convergence of two tectonic
Should bottled water be banned
to lower plastic pollution in the plates. Back-arc basins are sites of significant
ocean?
hydrothermal activity, and the deep-sea vents that occur in these regions often harbour
diverse biological communities. Examples of back-arc basins include the Sea of Japan,
Read Next
the Kuril Basin in the Sea of Okhotsk, the Mariana Trough in the Philippine Sea, and
What Is Earth’s Velocity? the South Fiji Basin.
Why Are Planets Round? A back-arc basin is formed by the process of
back-arc spreading, which begins when one
Just How Many Oceans
tectonic plate subducts under (underthrusts)
another. Subduction creates a trench between
the two plates and melts the mantle in the
overlying plate, which causes magma to rise
toward the surface. Rising magma increases the
sea anchor process in back-arc basin
pressure at the top of the overlying plate that formation The slab “sea anchor” process of
creates rifts in the crust above and causes the back-arc basin formation.
volcanoes on the island arc to erupt. As
additional magma breaks through the cracks in the crust, one or more spreading
centres develop, which widen the seafloor and expand the section of the overlying plate
behind the trench. (Spreading centres that form in back-arc basins are much shorter
than those found along oceanic ridges, however.) As the basin expands, the leading
edge of the overlying plate may be forced oceanward, causing the trench to “roll back”
over the subducting plate, or it may serve as a “sea anchor” by remaining fixed in place
relative to the top of the subducting plate. In the latter case, the enlargement of the
basin forces the trailing part of the overlying plate to move in the opposite direction.
John P. Rafferty
island arc Geography & Travel Physical Geography of Water
Table of Contents
island arc
Introduction Print Cite Share Feedback
References & Edit History
Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Related Topics Article History
Images Ask the Chatbot a Question Related Topics: deep-sea trench • island •
volcanism • back-arc basin • volcanic chain
Island arc, long, curved chain of oceanic
See all related content →
islands associated with intense volcanic and
seismic activity and orogenic (mountain-
Read Next
building) processes. Prime examples of this
Exploring 7 of Earth’s
form of geologic feature include the Aleutian-Alaska Arc and the Kuril-Kamchatka Arc.
Great Mountain Ranges
8 of the World’s Most- Most island arcs consist of two parallel, arcuate rows of islands. The inner row of such
Remote Islands
a double arc is composed of a string of explosive volcanoes, while the outer row is made
Are Volcanoes Dangerous
When They’re Not up of nonvolcanic islands. In the case of single arcs, many of the constituent islands are
Erupting?
volcanically active.
Is Australia an Island?
An island arc typically has a land mass or a partially enclosed, unusually shallow sea on
Is Mount Everest Really its concave side. Along the convex side there almost invariably exists a long, narrow
the Tallest Mountain in
the World? deep-sea trench. The greatest ocean depths are found in these depressions of the
seafloor, as in the case of the Mariana and Tonga trenches.
More From Britannica
plate tectonics: Island arcs
Destructive earthquakes occur frequently at the site of island arcs. Unlike the shallow
earthquakes that are recorded in other areas of the world, these are deep-focus seismic
events emanating from as much as 370 miles (600 km) below the base of an arc. The
quakes tend to have foci of progressively greater depth toward the arc’s concave side.
The majority of island arcs occur along the western margin of the Pacific Basin. The
few exceptions are the East Indian and the West Indian arcs and the Scotia Arc in the
South Atlantic. According to prevailing theory, island arcs are formed where two
lithospheric plates (enormous rigid slabs that constitute segments of the Earth’s
surface) converge. Upon colliding, one of the plates—that bearing heavy, oceanic crust
—buckles downward and is forced into the partially molten lower mantle beneath the
second plate with lighter, continental crust. An island arc is built up from the surface of
the overriding plate by the extrusion of basalts and andesites. The basalts are thought
to be derived from the semimolten mantle, whereas the andesites are probably
generated by the partial melting of the descending plate and the sediments that have
accumulated on its surface.
This article was most recently revised and updated by Adam Augustyn.
Load Next Page
