island arc

English

Noun

island arc (plural island arcs)

  1. (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.
Island arc development.
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