A 'forearc' is a
depression in the
sea floor located between a
subduction zone and an associated
volcanic arc. It is typically filled with
sediments from the adjacent landmass and the island arc in addition to trapped
oceanic crustal material. The oceanic crustal fragments may be
obducted as
ophiolites onto the continent during
terrane accretion. The late
Cretaceous - early
Paleogene development of the
Central Valley of
California is an example of forearc development.
References
★ Einsele, Gerhard (2000) ''Sedimentary Basins : Evolution, Facies, and Sediment Budget'' 2nd ed., Ch. 12, Springer ISBN 3-540-66193-X
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USGS definition
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Forearc Basin Architecture, abstract