Compositions of island arc and back-arc basin basalts are often used to trace the recycling of subducted materials. However, the contribution of subducted components to the mantle source during initial arc rifting before back-arc basin spreading is not yet well constrained. The northernmost Mariana arc is ideal for studying this because the transition from rifting to back-arc spreading is happening here.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOn September 28, 2018, a Mw7.5 earthquake occurred near Sulawesi, Indonesia as a result of strike-slip faulting at shallow depth within the interior of the Molucca Sea Microplate that forms a part of the broader Sunda Plate. Focal mechanism solutions and distribution for the earthquakes indicate rupture occurred on a left-lateral NNW-SSE- to N-S-striking fault.
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