VOLCANIC ARC Definition & Meaning

volcanic arc

noun

a curving chain of active volcanoes formed above a subduction zone and adjacent to a convergent plate boundary.

volcanic arc

A curved chain of volcanoes in the overriding tectonic plate of a subduction zone. Volcanic arcs form as the result of rising magma formed by the melting of the downgoing plate. They are curved because of the curvature of the Earth. The Andes mountains form a volcanic arc.
See also island arc

Discover More

Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Santorini lies on the Hellenic Volcanic Arc - a chain of islands created by volcanoes.

From

Santorini is on what is known as the Hellenic Volcanic Arc - a chain of islands created by volcanoes - but the last major eruption was in the 1950s.

From

Santorini is on what is known as the Hellenic Volcanic Arc but the last major eruption was in 1950.

From

Shishaldin is one of the most active volcanoes in the Aleutian volcanic arc.

From

The seamount is part of the Mariana Volcanic Arc, which is a chain of over 60 active volcanoes stretching over 600 miles west of and parallel to the Mariana Trench, the world’s deepest point.

From

volcanic volcanic ash

Browse

51�Թ�

volcanic arc

noun

Example Sentences