Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • News & Views
  • Published:

Tectonics

The hydrangeas of plate tectonics

Volcanic rocks at island arcs can show characteristics of the subducting oceanic plate. The isotopic signature of rocks at the Izu-Bonin arc in the northwest Pacific suggest the presence of Indian-type rather than Pacific-type oceanic crust.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: Pacific plate tectonics.

© 2008 AAAS

References

  1. Straub, S., Goldstein, S. L., Class, C. & Schmidt, A. Nature Geosci. 2, 286–289 (2009).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Müller, R. D., Sdrolias, M., Gaina, C. & Roest, W. R. Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst. 9, Q04006 (2008).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Whittaker, J. M. et al. Science 318, 83–86 (2007).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Meyzen, C. M. et al. Nature 447, 1069–1074 (2007).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Castillo, P. Nature 336, 667–670 (1988).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Storey, M. et al. Nature 338, 574–576 (1989).

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Whittaker, J. The hydrangeas of plate tectonics. Nature Geosci 2, 246–247 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo492

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo492

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing