User:Dboutelier/Arc-continent collision

Arc-continent collisions result from the closure of an oceanic domain by intra-oceanic subduction. Arrival of a continental passive margin into the subduction channel produces in a strong compression of the upper and lower lithospheric plates because of the buoyancy of the continental crust. As a result, the hot lithosphere of the intra-oceanic island-arc may fail. Depending on the orientation of the faults, the fore-arc domain can be subducted or a new subduction zone with opposite polarity may be created in the back of the magmatic arc. At the same time, buoyancy-driven resistance of continental units to subduction results in backfolding of accreted material and the formation of a bivergent orogenic wedge.