Talk:Forearc

This definition is fundamentally flawed
Defining the forearc as "a depression in the sea floor" is misleading. The USGS definition cited states "The forearc is the region between the subduction zone and the volcanic chain (volcanic arc)." As such, the entire forearc is not always offshore or even within a depression. Not every forearc cross-section has a forearc basin, which is why we have the term "upper slope". In erosional margins, there may be no forearc basin, as the deposition is occuring on the steeper lower slope (contemplate Costa Rica). In accretionary margins, this upper slope may be indistinguishable from the continental shelf. In the Sumatran forearc, there is a major plateau trenchward of the forearc basins and a significant region of continental crust between the forearc basins and the volcanic arc. In parts of Central and South America, there is also a significant distance from the coastline to the arc, which is technically part of the forearc, but is both above water, and original continental crust. Overall, this article is written from a very narrow viewpoint, based on work published about California (which does not have an active arc or forearc), and ignoring extensive published work on modern in situ forearcs (for a hint of how much we know, see Subduction and the List of tectonic plate interactions). In addition, it contains too many technical terms without any simpler explanation, making it unreadable to the typical layperson. I may eventually attempt a rewrite, but anyone else who wishes to deal with any of these issues would be appreciated.Elriana (talk) 20:56, 18 July 2013 (UTC)


 * So someone has rewritten the article so it is actually about the whole forearc and more globally applicable. But the explanations and writing itself could still use some improvement. I'll work on it when I can, but won't be offended if other people have better ideas. Elriana (talk) 22:19, 1 May 2014 (UTC)

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This article is a bit messy since it seems like Forearc basin page is redirected to the Forearc page and they were somehow merged. This doesn't make sense. By comparison Backarc basin and backarc are separate pages, which is more logical.

Forearc is a bigger system and tectonic setting that sometimes contains a Forearc basin which is its own distinct component of the overall system, just as distinct as the volcanic arc and the accretionary wedge, which are both part of the Forearc and have their own pages. I restructured and rewrote just a bit of the intro to help make the relationships a little clearer, but recommend splitting out a Forearc basin page. I did my PhD dissertation on a forearc basin. RockDr (talk) 17:35, 27 July 2022 (UTC)

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Reconstruction
Like what RockDr said, the content of this page is a bit odd and looks to be mostly about basins and surface structures. I am going to begin reworking it as time permits. It might be useful to make main pages for the subduction channel, mantle wedge corner, forearc basin, etc., but I don't know. Any help or insight is appreciated, since I am new to wikipedia editing.

I have knowledge on the forearc mantle wedge region and the subduction interface, but I am not as confident with surface geology, so I am less confident in assessing what's already been written about basins.

Additionally, I think that it would be best to replace the forearc diagram. It seems like it came from the USGS but is no longer accessible online. I think some of the terms used in it are not ideal anyways. It predates much of the work on the forearc in the last 15 years.

Bjorgo81 (talk) 22:06, 4 July 2023 (UTC)