island arc
English
[edit]Noun
[edit]island arc (plural island arcs)
- (geology) A long chain of active volcanoes with intense seismic activity found along convergent tectonic plate boundaries.
- 2012, Chinle Miller, “The Tectonic Forces of the Mesozoic”, in In Mesozoic Lands: The Mesozoic Geology of Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, Kindle edition, page 34:
- Offshore to the west of the continental margin during the Early Triassic, the Sonoma highlands formed a volcanic island arc, separated from the mainland by a shallow sea that cut through western Nevada and northwestern Utah.
