As one of only two subduction zones to consume slow‐spreading Atlantic oceanic crust, and with one of the slowest convergence rates of any subduction system globally, the Lesser Antilles arc is an important end member on the subduction spectrum. Back‐arc spreading is observed at many subduction zones. Yet, despite fulfilling many of the geodynamic requirements for spreading, the tectonic processes which may have led to the formation of the 500 × 150 km Grenada back‐arc Basin remain both enigmatic and controversial. In their new publication, Padron et al. (2021) (Padron, C., Klingelhoefer, F., Marcaillou, B., Lebrun, J.‐F., Lallemand, S., Garrocq, C., et al. (2021). Deep structure of the Grenada Basin from wide‐angle seismic, bathymetric and gravity data. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 126, e2020JB020472. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JB020472) present the most expansive wide‐angle seismic data set acquired in the basin to date. In combination with other marine geophysical data the authors can map clear internal changes in crustal structure, proposing a model of oblique magmatic spreading in the southern basin. This study represents an important step, not only for understanding of the tectonic history of the eastern Caribbean region, but also toward understanding what the Lesser Antilles may be able to tell us about the complexities of back‐arc processes globally.

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揭开神秘的底弧蔓延末端成员的面纱：位于小安的列斯群岛的格林纳达盆地的结构

小安的列斯群岛是仅两个俯冲带中消耗较慢的大西洋洋壳的俯冲带之一，并且是全球所有俯冲系统中最慢的收敛速率之一，因此它在俯冲谱系中是重要的最终成员。在许多俯冲带都观察到了弧后扩散。然而，尽管满足了扩展的许多地球动力学要求，但可能导致500×150 km格林纳达后弧盆地形成的构造过程仍然是充满神秘和争议的。在他们的新出版物中，Padron等人。（2021）。（Padron，C.，Klingelhoefer，F.，Marcaillou，B.，Lebrun，J.F.，Lallemand，S.，Garrocq，C.，et al。（2021）。格林纳达盆地的深层结构来自广角地震，测深和重力数据。地球物理研究杂志：固体地球，126，e2020JB020472。https://doi.org/10。1029 / 2020JB020472）介绍了该盆地迄今获得的最广泛的广角地震数据集。结合其他海洋地球物理数据，作者可以绘制出地壳结构内部清晰的变化图，从而提出了南部盆地倾斜岩浆扩散的模型。这项研究不仅迈出了了解东加勒比海地区构造史的重要一步，而且也迈出了了解小安的列斯群岛可能向我们讲述全球后弧过程复杂性的重要一步。