Pacific-Philippine 

 plate boundary 



Southern half of 

 ancestral Caroline 

 Ridge approaches 

 northwest New Guinea. 



Caroline Basin opens 

 at 12-13 cm/yr until 

 cessation of east 

 basin spreading (Bl- 

 ag m.y. B.P.) . West 

 basin continues. 



Formation of mantle 

 plume builds Eaurip- 

 ik Rise. 



(Approximate scale 1:65,000,000) 



Figure 17. Evolution of the Caroline region: 40-27 m.y. B.P. 



68 



