How was the phillipine archipelago formed?
Answers
Answer:
Explanation:The arc has been active since the Oligocene Period to the present
The Luzon Arc is a complex belt of volcanoes extending from the Coastal Range of southern Taiwan through the volcanic islands of north Luzon, the Luzon Central Cordillera and the Western Luzon arc, ending at Marinduque Island.
In time, some of these arcs merged together forming big islands like Luzon and Mindanao.
The Philippine Island Arc System
On the eastern frontier, are the subductions along East Luzon trough and Philippine trench.
These westward subductions resulted in the formation of the eastern island arcs of Northern Sierra Madre, Southern Sierra Madre-Polillo-Catanduanes and the East Philippine arc.
The territory of the Philippines is composed of many island arcs formed by several incidents of subduction. Each major Philippine island had a complex history.
These eastward subductions resulted in the emergence of the island arcs of Luzon, Negros, Sula-Zamboanga and Cotabato.
With the exception of Palawan, Mindoro and Romblon, most of the Philippine islands are considered to have been parts of island arcs at the southern edge of the Philippine Sea plate million of years ago.
Eurasian plate is the bedrock of what encompasses the continents of Asia and Europe. It is very stable plate which includes the submerged margins of the continents of Asia and Europe called continental shelves.
Continental shelf - is part of the continental crust that has a shallow water.
Eurasian Plate
The extreme southeastern portion of the Eurasian plate, which is a part of Southeast Asia, is a continental shelf.The region is called the Sunda Shelf.The highland sections of this shelf emerged as islands.These islands, which include the Philippine islands of Palawan, Mindoro and Romblon, geologically belong to the Eurasian plate. The Sunda Shelf and its islands is known as the Sundaland block of the Eurasian plate.
On the western border, are the subductions along trenches of Manila, Negros, Sulu and Celebes where the plates of the South China Sea, Sulu Sea and Celebes Sea are subducting beneath the Philippine Sea plate.
As part of the Philippine Sea plate, the islands moved northward as the plate rotated clockwise.
These roving islands, known as the Philippine Mobile Belt, eventually collided with the Sundaland.
The collision resulted, in a series of subductions around Philippine archipelago.
Australian plate is found south of the Eurasian and the Philippine Sea plates
Australian Plate
Philippine Sea plate is found east of the Eurasian plate. It is the bedrock of the major islands of the Philippines, Indonesia, Taiwan, and the Marianas.
Philippine Sea Plate
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