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Andesite line

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The andesite line is the most significant regional geologic distinction in the Pacific Ocean basin. It separates the mafic basaltic volcanic rocks of the Central Pacific Basin from the partially submerged continental areas of more felsic andesitic volcanic rock on its margins. The andesite line parallels the subduction zones and deep oceanic trenches around the Pacific basin. It is the surface expression of melting within and above the plunging subducting slab. It follows the western edge of the islands off California and passes south of the Aleutian Arc, along the eastern edge of the Kamchatka Peninsula, the Kuril Islands, Japan, the Mariana Islands, Yap, Palau, the Solomon Islands, Fiji, Tonga, and New Zealand's North Island. The dissimilarity continues northeastward along the western edge of the Andes mountains of South America to Mexico, returning then to the islands off California. Indonesia, the Philippines, Japan, New Guinea, and New Zealand lie outside the andesite line.