layers of volcanic rock that form a fanlike slope around groups of ancient or recent islands, most commonly in the central and southern Pacific Ocean. The aprons typically have a slope of 1° to 2°, with the slope decreasing near the shore; the upper parts may be indented by deep-sea channels. Although some aprons are rough, they are more typically smooth because a veneer of sediments deposited during the last 10,000 years or so masks any volcanic relief present. Turbidity currents may play an important role in transporting debris over the aprons and enhancing their smoothness.

Archipelagic aprons occur around such island groups as the Marquesas, Marshall, Hawaiian, Samoan, and Gilbert. These aprons seem to be a topographic expression of what geophysicists term the second layer, a layer of rock that transmits seismic waves with velocities between 4 and 6 km (2.5 and 4 miles) per second; this second layer thickens near volcanic islands to form the archipelagic aprons. Formation of the thick layer seems to be caused by very fluid lava pouring out of fissures near the bases of volcanic islands.