Aleutian Arc

The Aleutian Arc is a large volcanic arc of islands extending from the Southwest tip of the U.S. state of Alaska to the Kamchatka Peninsula of the Russian Federation.

It consists of a number of active and dormant volcanoes that have formed as a result of the subduction of the Pacific Plate beneath the North American Plate along the Aleutian Trench. Although taking its name from the Aleutian Islands, this term is a geologic grouping rather than a geographic one. The Aleutian Arc extends through the Alaska Peninsula following the Aleutian Range through the Aleutian Islands.^[1] The arc makes up a sizable portion of the Pacific Ring of Fire, and is known for generating many strong magnitude earthquakes (magnitude 6-6.7) as well as its volcanism.^[2]

^ Cite error: The named reference WoodsHole was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Ruppert, Natalia A.; Kozyreva, Natalia P.; Hansen, Roger A. (2012-02-05). "Review of crustal seismicity in the Aleutian Arc and implications for arc deformation". Tectonophysics. 522–523: 150–157. doi:10.1016/j.tecto.2011.11.024. ISSN 0040-1951.