Bulletin of the Marine Geology (Feb 2017)
Geological Structures Appearances and Its Relation to Mechanism of Arc-Continent Collision Northen Alor-Wetar Islands
Abstract
Study area is located in South Banda Basin near the triple junction between Eurasian, Pacific and Indo-Australian Plates. This area is part of back-arc thrusting zone that evolved to compensate convergence between Australia Continent and Banda Arc. Based on seismic section in this area, geological structure analysis is characterized into three distinctive zones. There are Thrust Zone (TZ), Proto Thrust Zone (PTZ) and Normal Fault Zone (NFZ). TZ is defined by distribution of numerous of thrust fault, PTZ contains a blind zone or folds instead of thrust fault, and NFZ defined by distribution of numerous normal fault in the upper portion of seismic section. PTZ identified at several seismic section along the bending zone of oceanic crust. The appearances of bending zone will be easily understood by comprehend the driving mechanism of Australia Continent to the Northeast. The bending zone also related to geometry and tectonic stress of collision. Based on this mechanism it was clearly understood why the western end of study area was not identified the bending zone but it probably the initial process of bending. Contradictive to the western end, the eastern part was clearly shown the bending zone that assumed to have the biggest tectonic stress at this moment. Map of structural analysis also explain that PTZ getting narrow towards the west as the indicator of less of tectonic stress.
