 988,897,280 visitors served. | 
|
 Dictionary/ thesaurus |  Medical dictionary |  Legal dictionary |  Financial dictionary |  Acronyms |  Idioms |  Encyclopedia |  Wikipedia encyclopedia | ? |
island arc |
Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia | 0.06 sec. |
island arcCurved chain of volcanic islands. Island arcs are common in the Pacific where they ring the ocean on both sides; the Aleutian Islands off Alaska are an example. The volcanism that forms island arcs is a result of subduction of an oceanic plate beneath another plate, as evidenced by the presence of ocean trenches on the convex side of the arc, and the Benioff zone of high seismic activity beneath. Such island arcs are often later incorporated into continental margins during mountain-building episodes. |
|
Printer friendly
Cite / link
Email
Feedback
? Mentioned in | ? References in periodicals archive | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| The next step is that plate motions sweep up the island arcs and the underlying depleted mantle material into larger pieces that get stuck onto continents. |
Island arcs
 |
| Free Tools: |
For surfers:
Browser extension |
Word of the Day |
Help
For webmasters: Free content NEW! | Linking | Lookup box | Double-click lookup | Partner with us |
|
|---|
Disclaimer |
Privacy policy |
Feedback | Copyright © 2008 Farlex, Inc.All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional. Terms of Use.