Home » Digital Investing World » Where Is Back-Arc Basin?

Where Is Back-Arc Basin?

Sophia Al-Mansoor • • 6 min read
Where Is Back-Arc Basin?

Back-arc basin, submarine basin that forms behind an island arc

island arc
Island arcs are long chains of active volcanoes with intense seismic activity found along convergent tectonic plate boundaries (such as the Ring of Fire). Most island arcs originate on oceanic crust and have resulted from the descent of the lithosphere into the mantle along the subduction zone.
› wiki › Island_arc
. Such basins are typically found along the western margin of the Pacific Ocean near the convergence of two tectonic plates.

What is a back-arc volcano?

The back-arc region is the area behind a volcanic arc. In island volcanic arcs it consists of back-arc basins of oceanic crust with abyssal depths, which may be separated by remnant arcs, similar to island arcs.

Why are back-arc basins less common today?

The restricted width of back-arc basins is probably because magmatic activity depends on water and induced mantle convection and these are both concentrated near the subduction zone. Spreading rates vary from very slow spreading (Mariana Trough), a few centimeters per year, to very fast (Lau Basin), 15 cm/year.

Sophia Al-Mansoor
Author

Sophia Al-Mansoor

Sophia analyzes international trade, startup ecosystems, retail transformation, and supply chain logistics for modern digital publications.