Geology of Indonesia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is a brief summary of the geology of Indonesia.
Contents |
[edit] Tectonics
The tectonics of Indonesia is very complex as it is a meeting point of several tectonic plates. Indonesia is located between two continental plates: the Eurasian Plate (Sunda Shelf) and Australian Plate (Sahul Shelf); and between two oceanic plates: the Indian Plate and Pacific Plates. The Indian oceanic plate subducts beneath the Eurasian continental plate formed the volcanic arc in western Indonesia. This chain of active volcanoes formed Sumatra, Java, Bali and Nusa Tenggara islands. The Pacific and Australian plate movements controlled the tectonic of eastern portion of Indonesia.
[edit] Structural Geology
The tectonics processes in Indonesia formed major structures in Indonesia. The most prominent fault in the west of Indonesia is the Semangko Fault, a dextral strike-slip fault along Sumatra Island. The formation of this fault zone is related to the subduction zone in the west of Sumatra.
Palu-Koro fault is another major structural feature formed in the central part of Indonesia. This fault has similar orientation as the Semangko fault, extend from Koro in central part of Sulawesi, to Palu in the west coast of Sulawesi and extend across the Makassar strait to East Kalimantan.
[edit] Stratigraphy
The stratigraphy of the western part of Indonesia is relatively young, ranging in age from Paleogene to Quarternary. Eastern Indonesia has older stratigraphy compared to the western part. The stratigraphy ranges from Triassic to Tertiary. Devonian limestones were found in Telen River, East Kalimantan, as fragments within Paleogene clastic sediments. Ichthyosaur fossils were found in the mud volcanoes in Kai Island, indicated Mesozoic deposition in the subsurface.[citation needed]
[edit] References
- Darman, H. & Sidi, H. (eds.), 2000, An Outline of the Geology of Indonesia, Indonesian Geologists Association publication.
- Bemmelen, R. W. van (Reinout Willem van) The Geology of Indonesia The Hague : Govt. Printing Office, 1949. 2 volumes.
[edit] External links
- Wikibooks [1]
 |
This article about a regional geological feature is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
