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The role of arc migration in the development of the Lesser Antilles: a new tectonic model for the Cenozoic evolution of the eastern Caribbean

The role of arc migration in the development of the Lesser Antilles: a new tectonic model for the Cenozoic evolution of the eastern Caribbean
The role of arc migration in the development of the Lesser Antilles: a new tectonic model for the Cenozoic evolution of the eastern Caribbean
Continental arc systems often show evidence of large-scale migration both toward and away from the incoming plate. In oceanic arc systems, however, while slab roll-back and the associated processes of backarc spreading and arc migration toward the incoming plate are commonplace, arc migration away from the incoming plate is rarely observed. We present a new compilation of marine magnetic anomaly and seismic data in order to propose a new tectonic model for the eastern Caribbean region that includes arc migration in both directions. We synthesized new evidence to show two phases of backarc spreading and eastward arc migration toward the incoming Atlantic. A third and final phase of arc migration to the west subdivided the earlier backarc basin on either side of the present-day Lesser Antilles arc. This is the first example of regional multidirectional arc migration in an intra-oceanic setting, and it has implications for along-arc structural and geochemical variations. The back and forth arc migrations were probably due to the constraints imposed by the neighboring American plates on this isolated subduction system, rather than variations in subducting slab buoyancy.
0091-7613
891-895
Allen, R W
f9b6c50e-cf54-4ea3-96c7-8568cb970dbf
Collier, J.S.
19dfa4bb-f743-4ca8-b15f-0f72f3f7263c
Stewart, A.G.
d6204750-3713-4757-a7b4-4b69a970930d
Henstock, T.
27c450a4-3e6b-41f8-97f9-4e0e181400bb
Goes, S.
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Rietbrock, A.
9fbc63af-9a9a-4dfe-a389-83d92b5f4cc2
VoiLA Team
Allen, R W
f9b6c50e-cf54-4ea3-96c7-8568cb970dbf
Collier, J.S.
19dfa4bb-f743-4ca8-b15f-0f72f3f7263c
Stewart, A.G.
d6204750-3713-4757-a7b4-4b69a970930d
Henstock, T.
27c450a4-3e6b-41f8-97f9-4e0e181400bb
Goes, S.
8da1004a-3f5b-44c9-9889-046c5b6c537e
Rietbrock, A.
9fbc63af-9a9a-4dfe-a389-83d92b5f4cc2

Allen, R W, Collier, J.S., Stewart, A.G., Henstock, T., Goes, S. and Rietbrock, A. , VoiLA Team (2019) The role of arc migration in the development of the Lesser Antilles: a new tectonic model for the Cenozoic evolution of the eastern Caribbean. Geology, 47 (9), 891-895. (doi:10.1130/G46708.1).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Continental arc systems often show evidence of large-scale migration both toward and away from the incoming plate. In oceanic arc systems, however, while slab roll-back and the associated processes of backarc spreading and arc migration toward the incoming plate are commonplace, arc migration away from the incoming plate is rarely observed. We present a new compilation of marine magnetic anomaly and seismic data in order to propose a new tectonic model for the eastern Caribbean region that includes arc migration in both directions. We synthesized new evidence to show two phases of backarc spreading and eastward arc migration toward the incoming Atlantic. A third and final phase of arc migration to the west subdivided the earlier backarc basin on either side of the present-day Lesser Antilles arc. This is the first example of regional multidirectional arc migration in an intra-oceanic setting, and it has implications for along-arc structural and geochemical variations. The back and forth arc migrations were probably due to the constraints imposed by the neighboring American plates on this isolated subduction system, rather than variations in subducting slab buoyancy.

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Accepted/In Press date: 4 July 2019
e-pub ahead of print date: 12 August 2019
Published date: 12 August 2019
Additional Information: Icon on the geology website says that the article is Open Access; header on PDF says published as Gold

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 433069
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/433069
ISSN: 0091-7613
PURE UUID: 021301a8-634c-4cae-a78b-87b6dc5830b4
ORCID for T. Henstock: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-2132-2514

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Date deposited: 07 Aug 2019 16:30
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 02:50

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Contributors

Author: R W Allen
Author: J.S. Collier
Author: A.G. Stewart
Author: T. Henstock ORCID iD
Author: S. Goes
Author: A. Rietbrock
Corporate Author: VoiLA Team

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