volcanic arc
Americannoun
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A curved chain of volcanoes in the overriding tectonic plate of a subduction zone. Volcanic arcs form as the result of rising magma formed by the melting of the downgoing plate. They are curved because of the curvature of the Earth. The Andes mountains form a volcanic arc.
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See also island arc
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Santorini sits in the eastern Mediterranean within the Hellenic volcanic arc, one of Europe's most geologically active regions.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 17, 2026
Shishaldin is one of the most active volcanoes in the Aleutian volcanic arc.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 15, 2023
Newberry Volcano is the largest volcano in the Cascades volcanic arc and covers about 1,200 square miles.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 2, 2022
That concern is reserved for the volcanic arc of the Lesser Antilles to the east, where the North American plate is roughly perpendicular to the Caribbean plate and subducting beneath it.
From Scientific American ● May 10, 2020
Because subduction volcanism occurs in a volcanic arc, the thickened crust promotes partial melting and magma differentiation.
From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2017
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
