This work was supported by the US NSF-ODP and JOI-USSSP. Primary data were collected on cruises of the Moana Wave, Hakurei Maru No. 2, and Maurice Ewing. We thank the Metal Mining Agency of Japan and the South Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission for providing Hydrosweep and magnetics data from the eastern Woodlark Basin. Reviews by Philippe Huchon and Garry Karner helped improve the manuscript. SOEST contribution # 4710.