2008/09/03 by V. E. Neall, Steven A. Trewick · 336 citations
Earth and Planetary Sciences · #Geological and Geochemical Analysis #earthquake and tectonic studies #Geological and Geophysical Studies #Geology #Archipelago #Subduction #Pacific Plate #Mantle plume #Oceanic crust #Volcano #Convergent boundary #Oceanography #Plate tectonics #Paleontology #Rift #Seafloor spreading #Seamount #Mid-ocean ridge #Lithosphere #Earth science #Mantle (geology) #Tectonics
paper · open access · doi:10.1098/rstb.2008.0119
published in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences 363(1508), 3293-3308 (Royal Society)
openalex publication_date 2008/09/03 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/15
The Pacific Ocean evolved from the Panthalassic Ocean that was first formed ca 750 Ma with the rifting apart of Rodinia. By 160 Ma, the first ocean floor ascribed to the current Pacific plate was produced to the west of a spreading centre in the central Pacific, ultimately growing to become the largest oceanic plate on the Earth. The current Nazca, Cocos and Juan de Fuca (Gorda) plates were initially one plate, produced to the east of the original spreading centre before becoming split into three. The islands of the Pacific have originated as: linear chains of volcanic islands on the above plates either by mantle plume or propagating fracture origin, atolls, uplifted coralline reefs, fragments of continental crust, obducted portions of adjoining lithospheric plates and islands resulting from subduction along convergent plate margins. Out of the 11 linear volcanic chains identified, each is briefly described and its history summarized. The geology of 10 exemplar archipelagos (Japan, Izu-Bonin, Palau, Solomons, Fiji, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Society, Galápagos and Hawaii) is then discussed in detail.