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Oceanic Island (LND_63)
DGIF baseline 2026-1, the latest. Earlier baselines: timemap.
RDF: lnd_63.ttl
- Name
oceanicIsland- Attribute
- LND Land Morphology
- Definition
- An island that does not sit on a continental shelf and is therefore volcanic in origin.
- Description
- There are three forms of oceanic islands. The first type are islands that arise from volcanoes where the subduction of one plate under another is occurring; for example: the Mariana Islands and Aleutian Islands. The second type occurs where an oceanic rift reaches the surface; for example: Iceland, which is the world's largest volcanic island, and Jan Mayen. The third type is formed over volcanic hotspots where the hotspot is more or less stationary relative to the moving tectonic plate above it, so a chain of islands results as the plate drifts. Over long periods of time, this type of island is eventually eroded down and 'drowned' by isostatic adjustment, becoming a seamount; for example: the Hawaiian Islands.
- Accepted
- 2013-10-18
- Allowed for
Source: DGIF 2026-1 QEA model, DGIWG. Standard: DGIWG 206-3. Licence: CC BY 4.0, © DGIWG.