The geology of the Samoan Islands
Keating BH. 1992. The geology of the Samoan Islands. Pages 127-178. In Keating BH and Bolton BR. Geology and offshore mineral resources of the central Pacific basin. Springer-Verlag. New York City. Circum-Pacific Council for Energy and Mineral Resources earth science series
Describes the geology of the Samoan Island chain: high volcanic islands, atolls, and submerged reefs. The continuing volcanism on Savaii is believed to be the result of deformation of the margin due to lithotheric dilation, as the plate bends where it approaches the Tonga Trench subduction zone. Geographic heterogeneity in the underlying mantle may be the cause of Samoa's alkali, rather than tholeiitic, lavas. Includes line drawings showing the stages of volcanic activity, a table of rock units from American Samoa, and various black-and-white maps of the islands.
- Type
- Book Chapter
- Authors
- Keating, Barbara
- Units
- NPSA , PACN
- Keywords
- alkali, American Samoa, Geology, Lava, Physical Sciences, Soil Formation, Soils, Volcanism