{{short description|Ocean trench in south western Pacific Ocean}} {{Annotated image | image = Coral Sea Topography.jpg | image-width = 1253<!--1,253 ----><!-- 1,253 × 776 pixels---> | image-left = -200 | image-top = 0 | width = 330 | height = 300 | float = right | annotations = {{Annotation |52|193|New Britain| text-align=left | font-size=16 | font-weight=normal| font-family=Arial | background-color=| color=}} {{Annotation |0|230|Papua<br />New<br />Guinea| text-align=left | font-size=16 | font-weight=normal| font-family=Arial | background-color=| color=}} {{Annotation |140|113|New<br />Ireland| text-align=left | font-size=16 | font-weight=normal| font-family=Arial | background-color=| color=}} {{Annotation |236|230|Solomon<br /> Islands| text-align=right | font-size=16 | font-weight=normal| font-family=Arial | background-color=| color=}} {{Annotation |155|240|{{colored link|#FFFFFF|Solomon Sea|Solomon<br /> Sea}}| text-align=left | font-size=12 | font-weight=normal| font-family=Arial | background-color=| color=}} {{Annotation |200|101|Kilinailau<br /><br /> Trench| text-align=left | font-size=16 | font-weight=normal| font-family=Arial | background-color=| color=black}} {{Annotation |240|175|{{colored link|#FFFFFF|North Solomon Trench|North<br /> Solomon<br /> Trench}}| text-align=left | font-size=12 | font-weight=normal| font-family=Arial | background-color=| color= }} {{Annotation |90|138|{{colored link|#FFFFFF|Manus Basin|Manus<br />Basin}}| text-align=left | font-size=12 | font-weight=normal| font-family=Arial | background-color=| color= }} {{Annotation |280|100|{{colored link|#FFFFFF|Ontong Java Plateau|Ontong<br /> Java<br />Plateau}}| text-align=left | font-size=12 | font-weight=normal| font-family=Arial | background-color=| color=}} {{Annotation |25|30|{{colored link|#FFFFFF|West Melanesian Trench|West<br /> Melanesian<br /> Trench}}| text-align=left | font-size=12 | font-weight=normal| font-family=Arial | background-color=| color=}} {{Annotation |67|5|{{colored link|#FFFFFF|Mussau Trough|Mussau<br /> Trough}}| text-align=left | font-size=12 | font-weight=normal| font-family=Arial | background-color=| color=}} {{Annotation |130|205|{{colored link|#FFFFFF|New Britain Trench| Britain<br />New Trench}}| text-align=left | font-size=12 | font-weight=normal| font-family=Arial | background-color=| color=}} | caption = Seafloor topographic map of area of Kilinailau Trench. The labelled New Britain Trench to its south-west is the nearest now actively subducting ocean trench. }} {{maplink|frame=yes|frame-align=right|frame-width=330|frame-height=400|frame-long=149|frame-lat=-5|zoom=5|raw={{Wikipedia:Map data/New Britain subduction zone}}|text=Approximate surface projection on Pacific Ocean of the relic (ie currently not actively subducting) Kilinailau Trench. While other related relic trenches (light blue) are shown for context, active trenches nearby, which are to the south are not. Click, then mouse-over shows feature names. }} The '''Kilinailau Trench''' is an oceanic trench delineating the former oceanic crust boundary between the Pacific Plate and the now inactive North Bismarck Plate, in the area to the west of Papua New Guinea.{{sfn|Tregoning|2002|loc=2. Tectonic Setting and Existing Models}}{{sfn|Davies|2015|pp=58, 169-170}} To its south west is the inactive North Solomon Trench. The collision of the Ontong Java Plateau in the then subducting oceanic crust of the Pacific Plate, initially to the trench's south-east, changed the plate collision dynamics relative to the then Indo-Australian Plate to the west.{{sfn|Davies|2015|pp=21,24}} Now the Ontong Java Plateau is just to the east of the trench and its great depth of crust appears to explain why subduction stalled here, and moved to the opposite direction along the far side of New Britain and the Solomons.{{sfn|Davies|2015|p=24}} The Melanesian ocean arc ridge structures formed when the trench was active are to its west and would include the north eastern part of New Ireland.{{sfn|Davies|2015|p=21-24}}
The West Melanesian Trench (Manus Trench), which looks as if it is a western continuation of the Kilinailai Trench, marks the boundary between the Caroline Plate and North Bismarck Plates.{{sfn|Tregoning|2002|loc=2. Tectonic Setting and Existing Models}} It is, however, disputed whether the Caroline Plate moves independently from the Pacific Plate. If not, the West Melanesian Trench and Kilinailau trenches form the Pacific-North Bismarck boundary together.{{sfn|Tregoning|2002|loc=North Bismarck/Pacific Boundary, p. 6}}
==See also== *Caroline Plate *Ontong Java Plateau *New Britain Subduction Zone
==References== {{Reflist}}
; Sources * {{Cite journal | last = Tregoning | first = P. | title = Plate kinematics in the western Pacific derived from geodetic observations | year = 2002 | journal = Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth | volume = 107 | issue = B1 | pages = ECV 7-1-ECV 7-8 | url = http://rses.anu.edu.au/geodynamics/tregoning/15.pdf | access-date = 7 January 2015 | doi = 10.1029/2001JB000406 | bibcode = 2002JGRB..107.2020T | doi-access = free }}<!-- {{sfn|Tregoning|2002}} --> *{{cite book|title=BOUGAINVILLE before the conflict |chapter=THE GEOLOGY OF BOUGAINVILLE |year=2015 |editor=Anthony J Regan |editor2=Helga M Griffin |publisher=The Australian National University |isbn=9781921934247 | first1=Hugh L. |last1=Davies |chapter-url=https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.12657/32423/1/611012.pdf#page=58 |access-date=13 August 2023}}<!-- {{sfn|Davis|2005}} -->
{{SE Asia plates|state=collapsed}}
{{coord missing|Pacific Ocean}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kilinailai Trench}} Category:Tectonic plates Category:Geology of the Pacific Ocean
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