Western Pacific Trench-Arc-Back Arc Systems

The Mediterranean and Western Pacific regions are the World zones where trench-arc-back arc systems (TABA) mainly developed. Thus, it may be useful to discuss about whether the driving mechanism and tectonic processes we propose for the generation of back arc basins in the Mediterranean area can also explain the development of analogous processes in the Western Pacific area. This possibility is analysed for the Kurile, Japan, Shikoku, Parece Vela, Mariana, Okinawa, Ayu and Woodlark basins. A more detailed reconstruction is proposed for the evolution of the Melanesian Arc which led to the formation of the North Fiji and Lau Havre basins.