Active Margins and Marginal Basins of the Western Pacific

Book excerpt: Published by the American Geophysical Union as part of the Geophysical Monograph Series, Volume 88. This volume focuses on the volcanic, fluid, sedimentary, and tectonic processes occurring in the trencharc-backarc systems of the western Pacific—a natural regional focus for studies of these themes. The results of ocean drilling and associated site surveys in the western Pacific have brought fundamental changes to our understanding of volcanism, crustal deformation, fluid circulation, and sedimentation in active margins and marginal basins. Our goal here is to synthesize the results of ocean drilling in a multi-disciplinary manner, including a comparison of the findings from drilling legs having similar themes, and to emphasize the significance of these results to the broader geoscience community.