In this paper, we analyse the metallicity structure of the Magellanic Clouds
using parameters derived from the Gaia DR3 low-resolution XP spectra,
astrometry and photometry. We find that the qualitative behavior of the radial
metallicity gradients in the LMC and SMC are quite similar, with both of them
having a metallicity plateau at intermediate radii and a second at larger
radii. The LMC has a first metallicity plateau at [Fe/H]β-0.8 for
3β7\degr, while the SMC has one at [Fe/H]β-1.1 at 3β5\degr. The
outer LMC periphery has a fairly constant metallicity of [Fe/H]β-1.0
(10β18\degr), while the outer SMC periphery has a value of
[Fe/H]β-1.3 (6β10\degr). The sharp drop in metallicity in the LMC at
βΌ8\dgr and the marked difference in age distributions in these two regions
suggests that there were two important evolutionary phases in the LMC. In
addition, we find that the Magellanic periphery substructures, likely
Magellanic debris, are mostly dominated by LMC material stripped off in old
interactions with the SMC. This presents a new picture in contrast with the
popular belief that the debris around the Clouds had been mostly stripped off
from the SMC due to having a lower mass. We perform a detailed analysis for
each known substructure and identify its potential origin based on
metallicities and motions with respect to each galaxy.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures. Submitted to MNRAS. Comments welcome