Editorial: Advances in the spatial and temporal evolution of oceanic arc-backarc systems

Abstract

Oceanic arcs and their associated backarc basins are highly dynamic systems as their evolution is 12 strongly linked with far-field plate tectonic stresses, the regional geodynamic setting, local crustal 13 structure and mantle dynamics. The individual evolutionary stages of arc and backarc systems are 14 associated with significant changes in the physical and chemical conditions that control the 15 compositions of melts during generation, transport and storage, and eventually volcanic eruption. The 16 magmas are generated under variable conditions that range from fluxed melting due to the 17 devolatilization of the slab underneath the forearc and arc to dry adiabatic decompressional melting of 18 the mantle, especially underneath the backarc (Figure). The structure, composition and geometry of 19 the slab from the forearc to the backarc thus exerts an important control on metamorphic and 20 metasomatic processes and melting in the overlying mantle wedge. This research topic covers the 21 spatial evolution of arcs from the mantle (Bénard et al., 2022;Bénard, 2022) common in these settings and their location is controlled by regional geodynamics, magmatism and 72 local tectonics.