South Sandwich Plate

The arc is related to the subduction of the South American Plate to its east under the South Sandwich Plate.

The trench is produced by the subduction of the southernmost portion of the South American Plate beneath the small South Sandwich Plate.

The East Scotia ridge is a back-arc spreading ridge that formed due to subduction of the South American plate below the South Sandwich plate along the South Sandwich Island arc.

The South Sandwich Plate or microplate is a tectonic plate bounded by the subducting South American Plate to the east, the Antarctic Plate to the south and the Scotia plate to the west.