Geological evolution and research prospect in southeast boundary of Philippine Sea Plate

During the Mesozoic Era, due to continuous subduction of the plaeo-Pacific slab beneath the Eurasian plate, a huge Andean-type subduction zone was gradually formed, being similar to that in modern eastern Pacific margin. Evidence from magmatic activity shows that the subduction processes of the Mesozoic Andean-type subduction zone had gradually ceased due to possible collaging of exotic positive topography terrane (s) into the subduction zone, and the eastern margin of the Eurasian plate has changed from active to passive continental margins. However, since early Cenozoic, accompanied by northward migration of the Philippine plate from south of the Equator (original place), the passive margin was reactivated and became an active margin and gradually formed a huge trench-arc-(back-arc) basin system in the western Pacific region after experienced three-epoch spreading evolution (i.e., Eocene, Oligocene-Miocene, Pliocence-Present). The Philippine Sea plate (PSP) includes these three-epoch back-arc basins (i.e., West Philippine Basin, Shikoku-Parece Vela Basins, and Mariana Trough). This study summarized in detail the geological evolution history of Pacific plate (first-order large tectonic plate), Philippine Sea plate and Caroline plate (second-order tectonic plate), described the geological and petrological characteristics for typical regions of interaction of the three tectonic plates, proposed some important scientific questions, and finally, pointed out the directions of investigation and research in the near future.