Western Caroline Ridge: Relic island arc?

The Western Caroline Ridge is incised parallel to its long axis by the Sorol Trough. This graben-like trough is morphologically similar to those developed behind active island arcs by the process of inter-arc extension.Using recently acquired bathymetric and geophysical data, and working from the basic assumption that the Sorol Trough is an inter-arc basin, the Western Caroline Ridge is viewed in the context of a relic island arc. By using this hypothesis, subsidiary morphologically and structural features such as the bathymetric troughs and depressions south of the ridge, as well as the existence of the ridge itself, can be accounted for in a reasonably simple manner.