Abstract
The Coriolis backarc troughs in southern Vanuatu are elongate, rhomboidal depressions with steep walls and flat floors, formed by extension. The Futuna Trough is relatively immature and, like Erromango Basin, shows no recent volcanism. Vate Trough is most developed, and its floor is largely covered by lava fields. Between Vate and Banks Islands, the backarc has three distinct characters: in the south it is sediment-draped; centrally, either lava projects through sediment cover or the area is covered by slide debris; in the north, a steep escarpment may result from collision of the arc with the D'Entrecasteaux Ridge.
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Price, R.C., Maillet, P. & Johnson, D.P. Interpretation of GLORIA side-scan sonar imagery for the Coriolis Troughs of the New Hebrides backarc. Geo-Marine Letters 13, 71–81 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01204548
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01204548