Back-Arc Spreading Systems

Published by the American Geophysical Union as part of the Geophysical Monograph Series, Volume 166.<br /><br />New ocean crust is continuously created where tectonic plates diverge. A distinctive type of oceanic crust is formed by back-arc spreading systems that parallel oceanic island arcs on the side away from the subducting plate. Volatile-rich and spatially variable, back-arc spreading systems are a natural laboratory for multi-disciplinary studies of seafloor creation, the flow of magma from the deep earth, and the hydrothermal ecosystems that this flow sustains. <p>Derived from the prestigious Ridge 2000 InterRidge Theoretical Institute held in 2004, <i>Back-Arc Spreading Systems: Geological, Biological, Chemical, and Physical Interactions</i> reviews the state of the science, with select case studies.</p> <p>Experienced researchers in, and students of, marine geology, biological oceanography, marine geochemistry, volcanology, petrology, and geo- and paleomagnetism will find this volume a significant resource now and for the near future.</p>