Woodlark Basin
![Figure 1: Above is a close up image of the Woodlark Basin located in the southwest Pacific Ocean.](/Images/godic/202502/21/A_close_up_image_of_the_Woodlark_Basin0040.jpg")
![Figure 2: Above is an image of the Woodlark Basin (boxed in area in red) on a map of the plate tectonics in the region surrounding it](/Images/godic/202502/21/Boxed_Woodlark_Basin_0040.png")
![Figure 3: The image above shows the basic faulting in the woodlark basin. The purple line represents the transform that marks the northern boundary of the basin, the red lines represent the spreading centers in the middle of the basin, and the yellow line represents the subduction zone where to the east of the basin.](/Images/godic/202502/21/Basic_Fault_map_of_the_woodlark_basin_revision0040.jpg")
The Woodlark Basin is a geologic structural basin located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean and can be found to the southwest of the island country of Papua New Guinea. The basin is an extensional basin that is actively spreading and has a seafloor spreading center. This basin lies between the Indo-Australian Plate and the Solomon microplate and is located at 09°S, 155°E. The Woodlark Basin has an interesting geologic history dating back twenty million years to the initial opening of the basin; the spreading of the basin, however, has occurred within the past three million years. Due to the relatively young age of the basin, many researchers are interested in learning how the basin will continue to develop over time and how the plates will subduct. The subduction of the plates in the Woodlark Basin will be unique because the new crust being formed will be young and warm unlike most crust that gets subducted due to its low temperature and high density.