Formation of the Caribbean Volcanic Arc

Subduction of proto-Caribbean oceanic crust beneath the migrating Caribbean plate generates a chain of volcanic islands along the eastern boundary of the newly forming Caribbean basin. As the Caribbean plate moves eastward from the Pacific through the gap between North and South America, westward-dipping subduction creates the Great Arc of the Caribbean. Arc magmatism produces plutonic intrusions dated to 89-86 million years ago in locations like Aruba and Curacao, while volcanic activity builds the foundations of the Greater and Lesser Antilles island chains.