Rise and fall of the Eastern Great Indonesian arc recorded by the assembly, dispersion and accretion of the Banda Terrane, Timor

New age, petrochemical and structural data indicate that the Banda Terrane is a remnant of a Jurassic to Eocene arc–trench system that formed the eastern part of the Great Indonesian arc. The arc system rifted apart during Eocene to Miocene supra-subduction zone sea floor spreading, which dispersed ridges of Banda Terrane embedded in young oceanic crust as far south as Sumba and Timor. In Timor the Banda Terrane is well exposed as high-level thrust sheets that were detached from the edge of the Banda Sea upper plate and uplifted by collision with the passive margin of NW Australia. The thrust sheets contain a distinctive assemblage of medium grade metamorphic rocks overlain by Cretaceous to Miocene forearc basin deposits. New U/Pb age data presented here indicate igneous zircons are less than 162 Ma with a cluster of ages at 83 Ma and 35 Ma. ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar plateau ages of various mineral phases from metamorphic units all cluster at between 32–38 Ma. These data yield a cooling curve that shows exhumation from around 550 °C to the surface between 36–28 Ma. After this time there is no evidence of metamorphism of the Banda Terrane, including its accretion to the edge of the Australian continental margin during the Pliocene. These data link the Banda Terrane to similar rocks and events documented throughout the eastern edge of the Sunda Shelf and the Banda Sea floor.     

Some Palaeozoic‐Mesozoic stratigraphic‐structural relationships in east timor and their significance in the tectonics of timor

An ‘autochthon’ model for the tectonic development of Timor is suggested, based on observations of Palaeozoic‐Mesozoic relationships from a broad area of central East Timor, including:

1. (a) ‘allochthonous’ Permian rocks unconformable on metamorphic rocks

2. (b) ‘allochthonous’ Permian units interbedded with ‘autochthonous’ Permian units, and

3. (c) ‘autochthonous’ Triassic sediments stratigraphically overlying ‘allochthonous’ Permian rocks.

The model is supported by recent modifications in palaeogeographic interpretations for the Permian of north Australia (e.g. Powell, 1976; Thomas, 1976). Our observations support and extend the earlier suggestions of Grady (1975), and the resulting model is in contrast with some of the hypotheses of Audley‐Charles and his associates (as, most recently, Barber et al., 1977), Fitch & Hamilton (1974), Hamilton (1973, 1976), and Crostella (1976).

Our model involves no essentially allochthonous pre‐Cainozoic material in Timor. The Permian to Cretaceous units are envisaged as developing on the continental margin which was dominantly inactive, but affected to some extent by Late Jurassic rifting activity. Following the Pliocene collision with the Inner Banda Arc, uplift along the collision zone would have caused gravity gliding towards the south. Thus, surficial olistostrome deposits, originally from the island arc, could have eventually moved to the northern slopes of the Timor Trough, while at depth, reverse faulting could have developed as a result of gravity gliding.

We maintain that previous postulates of a pervasive, strongly imbricate structure for Timor, lack adequate substantiation in the literature. Furthermore, accounts of the tectonic development of Timor, involving large scale translation on low angle faults, are even less well substantiated.     

Deformation and metamorphism of the Aileu Formation,north coast,East Timor and its tectonic significance

The large block of metamorphic rocks along the north coast of East Timor is of special interest as it occurs at the boundary between continental and oceanic crust in an island arc-continent collision zone. A detailed study of the structure and metamorphic history of 400 km² of this formation showed it has a complex history of penetrative deformation but the structure is coherent.Pelites, psammites and limestones interlayered with dolerites and amphibolites have been metamorphosed in a medium pressure environment. They now form a metamorphic province zoned from low greenschist facies in the southwest to upper amphibolite facies in the east. The earliest recognised deformation phase predated the metamorphism and produced a widespread layer—parallel schistosity but no recognisable folds. The second deformation phase post-dated the metamorphic maximum and micropetrological evidence indicates a gradual cooling during this event. This deformation produced tight folds with an axial plane schistosity and transposed the earlier structures. The progressively weaker third and fourth phases developed crenulation cleavages and related folds, under greenschist facies conditions. Open, fifth phase, macroscopic folds were probably synchronous with strike slip faulting parallel to the north coast. Later dip slip faulting juxtaposed the Aileu Formation with Permian and Mesozoic sediments of very low metamorphic grade.Reconnaissance K/Ar radiometric dating using hornblende and biotite showed the prograde metamorphic maximum occurred before 11 Ma ago and implies that the second, and strongest, deformation phase occurred in the late Miocene. This young age establishes the relationship of the deformation events to the collision between Australia and the Inner Banda Arc.The proposed models for the structure of Timor must be modified to fit the deformation history of the Aileu Formation. If Timor is essentially autochthonous, the Aileu Formation was probably deposited in a Palaeozoic graben and the metamorphic maximum may have occurred in the Jurassic. The overthrusting models must be modified in the light of the close correlation in time between penetrative deformation and emplacement of the proposed thrust sheets. The analogy proposed between Timor and ‘normal’ convergent margins is not supported but it may be possible to draw analogies with the Molucca Sea.     

Whole-rock geochemistry of the Hili Manu peridotite,East Timor: implications for the origin of Timor ophiolites ∗

The Hili Manu peridotite occupies a key position at the outer limit of continental crust on the north coast of East Timor. Most models for the tectonic evolution of the Outer Banda Arc interpret peridotite bodies on Timor, such as Hili Manu, as fragments of young oceanic lithosphere from the Banda Arc (upper plate). However, recent workers have used major-element geochemistry to argue that the peridotite bodies on Timor were derived from the Australian subcontinental lithosphere. Our major, trace and isotopic geochemical study of the Hili Manu peridotite body supports a supra-subduction origin from either a forearc or backarc position for the Hili Manu peridotite. In particular, the wide range in Nd and Sr isotopic compositions, overlapping that of arc volcanics from the Sunda – Banda Island arc, and highly fractionated Nb/Ta values indicate a supra-subduction setting. As there is no evidence for subduction beneath the rifted Australian continental margin, it is unlikely that the Hili Manu peridotite is Australian subcontinental lithosphere. This result, along with the clear supra-subduction setting of the Ocuzzi peridotite and associated volcanics in West Timor, gives support to the interpretation that the Miocene collision between the Banda Arc and the Australian continental margin has produced widespread ‘Cordilleran’-style ophiolites on Timor.     

Provenance of Triassic and Jurassic sandstones in the Banda Arc: Petrography,heavy minerals and zircon geochronology

Quartz-rich sandstones in the Banda Arc Islands are thought to be equivalent of Mesozoic sandstones on the Australian NW Shelf where they are important proven and potential reservoirs. Previous studies suggested that rivers draining Australia provided most of the sediment input and there have been suggestions of a northern provenance for some Timor sediments. We present results from a provenance study of Triassic and Jurassic sandstones of the Banda Arc between Timor and Tanimbar, which used several methodologies, including conventional light and heavy mineral point counting, textural classification and laser ablation (LA-ICP-MS) U–Pb dating of detrital zircons. Most sandstones are quartz-rich and detrital modes suggest a recycled origin and/or continental affinity, consistent with an Australian source. However, many of the sandstones are texturally immature and commonly contain volcanic quartz and volcanic lithic fragments. In the Tanimbar Islands and Babar, acid igneous material came from both the Australian continent and from the Bird's Head, whereas sandstones in Timor have a greater metamorphic component. Heavy mineral assemblages are dominated by rounded ultra-stable minerals, but mixed with angular grains, and indicate an ultimate origin from acid igneous and metamorphic sources. Detrital zircon ages range from Archean to Mesozoic, but variations in age populations point to differences in source areas along the Banda Arc both spatially and temporally. Significant zircon populations with ages of 240–280 Ma, 1.5 Ga and 1.8 Ga are characteristic and are also common in many other areas of SE Asia. We interpret sediment to have been derived mainly from the Bird's Head, Western and Central Australia in the Triassic. In the Jurassic local sources close to Timor are suggested, combined with recycling of NW Shelf material.     

Evidence for the Jurassic arc volcanism of the Lolotoi complex,Timor: Tectonic implications

We report the first sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) U–Pb zircon ages with geochemical data from metavolcanic rocks in the Lolotoi complex, Timor. The zircon U–Pb ages of two andesitic metavolcanic rocks yield a permissible range of the Middle Jurassic extrusion from 177 Ma to 174 Ma. The geochemical data indicate that the origins of the basaltic and andesitic metavolcanic rocks are products of prolonged oceanic crust and arc magmatism, respectively. They are originated from partial melting of lherzolites, providing an insight into the tectonic evolution of the forearc basements of the Banda volcanic arc. Thus, parts of the Banda forearc basement are pieces of allochthonous oceanic basalts and Jurassic arc-related andesites accreted to the Sundaland during the closure of Mesotethys, and are incorporated later into the Great Indonesian Volcanic Arc system along the southeastern margin of the Sundaland.     

Provenance of Cretaceous sandstones in the Banda Arc and their tectonic significance

The provenance of Cretaceous sandstones in the Banda Arc islands differs from west to east. Sandstones in Sumba and West Timor contain significant amounts of feldspar (K-feldspar and plagioclase) and lithic fragments, suggesting a recycled to magmatic arc origin. In comparison, East Timor and Tanimbar sandstones are quartz rich, and suggest a recycled origin and/or continental affinity. Heavy mineral assemblages in Sumba and West Timor indicate metamorphic and minor acidic igneous sources and include a mixture of rounded and angular zircon and tourmaline grains. In East Timor, Babar and Tanimbar, an ultimate origin from a mainly acid igneous and minor metamorphic source is interpreted, containing a mixture of rounded and angular zircon and tourmaline grains.Detrital zircon ages in all sandstones range from Archean to Mesozoic, but variations in age populations indicate local differences in source areas. Sumba and West Timor are characterised by zircon age peaks at 80–100 Ma, 200–240 Ma, 550 Ma, 1.2 Ga, 1.5 Ga and 1.8 Ma. East Timor and Tanimbar contain 80–100 Ma, 160–200 Ma, 240–280 Ma, 550 Ma and 1.5 Ga zircon peaks. Most populations are also common in Triassic and Jurassic formations along the Outer Banda Arc and in many other areas of SE Asia. However, the abundance of Jurassic and Cretaceous populations was unexpected. We interpret Cretaceous sandstones from Sumba, Timor and Tanimbar to have been deposited in SE Sundaland. Syn-sedimentary Cretaceous (68–140 Ma) sources are suggested to include the Schwaner Mountains in SW Borneo and Sumba. Material derived mainly from older recycled sediments that had their main sources in the Bird's Head, Western and Central Australia, and local sources close to Timor.     

Ocean trench blocked and obliterated by Banda forearc collision with Australian proximal continental slope

The bathymetry and abrupt changes in earthquake seismicity around the eastern end of the Java Trench suggest it is now blocked south–east of Sumba by the Australian, Jurassic-rifted, continental margin forming the largely submarine Roti–Savu Ridge. Plate reconstructions have demonstrated that from at least 45 Ma the Java Trench continued far to the east of Sumba. From about 12 Ma the eastern part of the Java Trench (called Banda Trench) continued as the active plate boundary, located between what was to become Timor Island, then part of the Australian proximal continental slope, and the Banda Volcanic Arc. This Banda Trench began to be obliterated by continental margin-arc collision between about 3.5 and 2 Ma.The present position of the defunct Banda Trench can be located by use of plate reconstructions, earthquake seismology, deep reflection seismology, DSDP 262 results and geological mapping as being buried under the para-autochthon below the foothills of southern Timor. Locating the former trench guides the location of the apparently missing large southern part of the Banda forearc that was carried over the Australian continental margin during the final stage of the period of subduction of that continental margin that lasted from about 12 Ma to about 3.5 Ma.Tectonic collision is defined and distinguished from subduction and rollback. Collision in the southern part of the Banda Arc was initiated when the overriding forearc basement of the upper plate reached the proximal part of the Australian continental slope of the lower plate, and subduction stopped. Collision is characterised by fold and thrust deformation associated with the development of structurally high decollements. This collision deformed the basement and cover of the forearc accretionary prism of the upper plate with part of the unsubducted Australian cover rock sequences from the lower plate. Together with parts of the forearc basement they now form the exposed Banda orogen. The conversion of the northern flank of the Timor Trough from being the distal part of the Banda forearc accretionary prism, carried over the Australian continental margin, into a foreland basin was initiated by the cessation of subduction and simultaneous onset of collisional tectonics.This reinterpretation of the locked eastern end of the Java Trench proposes that, from its termination south of Sumba to at least as far east as Timor, and probably far beyond, the Java-Banda Trench and forearc overrode the subducting Australian proximal continental slope, locally to within 60 km of the shelf break. Part of the proximal forearc's accretionary prism together with part of the proximal continental slope cover sequence were detached and thrust northwards over the Java-Banda Trench and forearc by up to 80 km along the southwards dipping Savu Thrust and Wetar Suture. These reinterpretations explain the present absence of any discernible subduction ocean trench in the southern Banda Arc and the narrowness of the forearc, reduced to 30 km at Atauro, north of East Timor.     

Continent — Island arc collision in the Banda Arc

Acoustical structure of seismic profiles, and morphology of the Timor—Tanimbar—Ceram troughs and adjacent slopes of the outer Banda Arc, show remarkable similarities to equivalent parameters of many arcs subducting oceanic lithosphere and sediments, despite the fact that the outer Banda Arc is underlain by continental crust continuous with that of the colliding Australian craton. Such similarities include diffractions and anticlinal folds at the toe of the inner slope of the Timor—Tanimbar—Ceram troughs, which could be interpreted as thrust slices and thrust folds. Slope basins comprising sediments obviously dammed behind acoustic basement highs are also common on the trough inner slope, with some basins containing strata adjacent to the highs dipping away from the trough. Ridges and basins occur on the trough inner slope oriented parallel to the trough trend, and a slab continuous with down-bowed continental margin can often be detected a considerable distance in from the trough below the inner slope. On face value these observations are compatible with a mechanism of underthrusting by Australian and New Guinea crust with consequent imbrication and accretion of packages of off-scraped sediments. However, they may also be explained as possible outward-directed gravity slides of nappes displaced from uplifted inner portions of the arc, similar to the published structural interpretation of at least the eastern portion of the neighbouring, closely related New Guinea Fold Belt. It is shown that the weight of marine geological and geophysical evidence, including the alignment with the oceanic Indonesian Arc, the gravity anomalies, and the persistence of the various morphological and structural entities around the arc, favours subduction in the Timor—Tanimbar—Ceram troughs rather than massive gravity sliding towards the troughs. By this working model the outer Banda Arc would be the accretionary prism of a subduction zone which was formerly in an ocean-crust setting but since Pliocene has been interacting with continental lithosphere. If its structural evolution is analogous to that of the New Guinea orogenic belt, then the Banda Arc has not yet reached the stage of major, foreland-directed gravity slides. The proposed structural model for the Banda Arc is at variance with some but not all structural interpretations of the island of Timor, which is an emergent portion of the outer arc. Further critical studies are obviously required, both in marine and terrestrial areas, to resolve this impasse.     

Tectonometamorphic evolution of Seram and Ambon,eastern Indonesia: Insights from 40Ar/39Ar geochronology

The island of Seram, eastern Indonesia, experienced a complex Neogene history of multiple metamorphic and deformational events driven by Australia–SE Asia collision. Geological mapping, and structural and petrographic analysis has identified two main phases in the island's tectonic, metamorphic, and magmatic evolution: (1) an initial episode of extreme extension that exhumed hot lherzolites from the subcontinental lithospheric mantle and drove ultrahigh-temperature metamorphism and melting of adjacent continental crust; and (2) subsequent episodes of extensional detachment faulting and strike-slip faulting that further exhumed granulites and mantle rocks across Seram and Ambon. Here we present the results of sixteen ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar furnace step heating experiments on white mica, biotite, and phlogopite for a suite of twelve rocks that were targeted to further unravel Seram's tectonic and metamorphic history. Despite a wide lithological and structural diversity among the samples, there is a remarkable degree of correlation between the ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages recorded by different rock types situated in different structural settings, recording thermal events at 16 Ma, 5.7 Ma, 4.5 Ma, and 3.4 Ma. These frequently measured ages are defined, in most instances, by two or more ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages that are identical within error. At 16 Ma, a major kyanite-grade metamorphic event affected the Tehoru Formation across western and central Seram, coincident with ultrahigh-temperature metamorphism and melting of granulite-facies rocks comprising the Kobipoto Complex, and the intrusion of lamprophyres. Later, at 5.7 Ma, Kobipoto Complex rocks were exhumed beneath extensional detachment faults on the Kaibobo Peninsula of western Seram, heating and shearing adjacent Tehoru Formation schists to form Taunusa Complex gneisses. Then, at 4.5 Ma, ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages record deformation within the Kawa Shear Zone (central Seram) and overprinting of detachment faults in western Seram. Finally, at 3.4 Ma, Kobipoto Complex migmatites were exhumed on Ambon, at the same time as deformation within the Kawa Shear Zone and further overprinting of detachments in western Seram. These ages support there having been multiple synchronised episodes of high-temperature extension and strike-slip faulting, interpreted to be the result of Western Seram having been ripped off from SE Sulawesi, extended, and dragged east by subduction rollback of the Banda Slab.     

The Bouguer gravity field and crustal structure of eastern Timor

The results from a recent North—South gravity traverse across eastern Timor show that the Bouguer gravity field is characterized by a strong, 6 mGal/km, gradient on the north coast. This gradient appears to be a fundamental feature of Timor and of the Outer Banda Arc. Preliminary computer models suggest that, to a first approximation, the gradient is due to a vertical fault at the north coast of Timor separating oceanic crust from continental crust. The fit between the computed and observed gradient can be improved significantly by assuming a northward-dipping lithospheric slab, north of Timor. The model further indicates that the Australian continental crust extends at least as far as the north coast of Timor.     

Re-evaluation of the Cablac Limestone at its type area, East Timor: Revision of the Miocene stratigraphy of Timor

The Cablac Limestone, widely recorded in Timor, has its type area on Cablac Mountain where it was regarded as a Lower Miocene shallow-marine carbonate-platform succession. The Bahaman-like facies placed in the Cablac Limestone are now known to belong to the Upper Triassic–Lower Jurassic rather than the Lower Miocene. On the northern slopes of Cablac Mountain, a crush breccia, formerly regarded as the basal conglomerate of the formation, is now considered to have developed along a high-angle fault separating Banda Terrane units of Asian affinity from an overthrust limestone stack containing units belonging to the Gondwana and Australian-Margin Megasequences. The Cablac breccia includes rock fragments that were probably derived locally from these tectonostratigraphic units after terrane emplacement and overthrusting. Clasts include peloid and oolitic limestones of the Upper Triassic–Lower Jurassic derived from the Gondwana Megasequence, deep-water carbonate pelagites of the Cretaceous and Paleogene derived from the Australian-Margin Megasequence, Upper Oligocene–Lower Miocene (Te Letter Stage) shallow-water limestone derived from the Banda Terrane, and a younger Neogene calcarenite containing clasts of mixed tectonostratigraphic affinity. There is no evidence for significant sedimentary or tectonic transport of clasts that form the breccia. The clast types and the present understanding of the geological history of Timor suggest that the crush breccia formed late in the Plio-Pleistocene uplift history of Timor. It is not the basal conglomerate of the Cablac Limestone. However, the clasts of an Upper Oligocene–Lower Miocene limestone found in the breccia suggest that a shallow-marine limestone unit of this age either outcrops in the region and has not been detected in the field, or has been eroded completely during late Neogene uplift. The clasts are similar in age and lithology to an Upper Oligocene–Lower Miocene formation that unconformably overlies a metamorphic complex in the Booi region of West Timor, similar to the Lolotoi Metamorphic Complex (Banda Terrane) that is juxtaposed against the crush breccia of Cablac Mountain. The Cablac Limestone at its type area includes a mixed assemblage of carbonate rock units ranging in age from Triassic to Plio-Pleistocene and representing diverse facies. As a formation, the name “Cablac Limestone” should be discarded for a Cenozoic unit. The Upper Oligocene–Lower Miocene shallow-water limestone unit that is typified by outcrops in the Booi region of West Timor, and that has contributed to clasts in the Cablac breccia, is informally named the Booi limestone. It is considered part of the allochthonous Banda Terrane of Asian affinity and represents the only shallow-marine Lower Miocene unit known from Timor. The only other Miocene sedimentary unit known from Timor includes carbonate pelagites – designated the Kolbano beds – probably deposited on an Australian continental terrace at water depths between 1000 and 3000 m. On the northeastern edge of Cablac Mountain, oolitic limestone and associated units of the Gondwana Megasequence, the Kolbano beds of the Australian-Margin Megasequence, and the Booi limestone and associated metasediments of the Banda Terrane were juxtaposed by a Plio-Pleistocene high-angle fault along which the Cablac crush breccia formed.     

Re-evaluation of the Cablac Limestone at its type area,East Timor: Revision of the Miocene stratigraphy of Timor

The Cablac Limestone, widely recorded in Timor, has its type area on Cablac Mountain where it was regarded as a Lower Miocene shallow-marine carbonate-platform succession. The Bahaman-like facies placed in the Cablac Limestone are now known to belong to the Upper Triassic–Lower Jurassic rather than the Lower Miocene. On the northern slopes of Cablac Mountain, a crush breccia, formerly regarded as the basal conglomerate of the formation, is now considered to have developed along a high-angle fault separating Banda Terrane units of Asian affinity from an overthrust limestone stack containing units belonging to the Gondwana and Australian-Margin Megasequences. The Cablac breccia includes rock fragments that were probably derived locally from these tectonostratigraphic units after terrane emplacement and overthrusting. Clasts include peloid and oolitic limestones of the Upper Triassic–Lower Jurassic derived from the Gondwana Megasequence, deep-water carbonate pelagites of the Cretaceous and Paleogene derived from the Australian-Margin Megasequence, Upper Oligocene–Lower Miocene (Te Letter Stage) shallow-water limestone derived from the Banda Terrane, and a younger Neogene calcarenite containing clasts of mixed tectonostratigraphic affinity. There is no evidence for significant sedimentary or tectonic transport of clasts that form the breccia. The clast types and the present understanding of the geological history of Timor suggest that the crush breccia formed late in the Plio-Pleistocene uplift history of Timor. It is not the basal conglomerate of the Cablac Limestone. However, the clasts of an Upper Oligocene–Lower Miocene limestone found in the breccia suggest that a shallow-marine limestone unit of this age either outcrops in the region and has not been detected in the field, or has been eroded completely during late Neogene uplift. The clasts are similar in age and lithology to an Upper Oligocene–Lower Miocene formation that unconformably overlies a metamorphic complex in the Booi region of West Timor, similar to the Lolotoi Metamorphic Complex (Banda Terrane) that is juxtaposed against the crush breccia of Cablac Mountain. The Cablac Limestone at its type area includes a mixed assemblage of carbonate rock units ranging in age from Triassic to Plio-Pleistocene and representing diverse facies. As a formation, the name “Cablac Limestone” should be discarded for a Cenozoic unit. The Upper Oligocene–Lower Miocene shallow-water limestone unit that is typified by outcrops in the Booi region of West Timor, and that has contributed to clasts in the Cablac breccia, is informally named the Booi limestone. It is considered part of the allochthonous Banda Terrane of Asian affinity and represents the only shallow-marine Lower Miocene unit known from Timor. The only other Miocene sedimentary unit known from Timor includes carbonate pelagites – designated the Kolbano beds – probably deposited on an Australian continental terrace at water depths between 1000 and 3000 m. On the northeastern edge of Cablac Mountain, oolitic limestone and associated units of the Gondwana Megasequence, the Kolbano beds of the Australian-Margin Megasequence, and the Booi limestone and associated metasediments of the Banda Terrane were juxtaposed by a Plio-Pleistocene high-angle fault along which the Cablac crush breccia formed.     

The Sumba enigma: Is Sumba a diapiric fore-arc nappe in process of formation?

The anomalous updomed morphological expression of Sumba island, its enigmatic lack of strong Neogene deformation and the northward morphological indentation of southern Sumbawa and Flores require explanation.The stratigraphy of Sumba may be correlated with the Cretaceous to Miocene part of the Timor allochthon. The sedimentary and eruptive rock succession in Sumba shows remarkable similarities with the allochthonous Palelo, Wiluba and Cablac deposits of Timor. In both islands the Cretaceous parts of these sequences are regarded as characteristic of fore-arc deposits built on thin continental crust.The Timor nappe is interpreted as a 5 km thick tectonic flake of the Banda fore-arc thrust onto the Australian continental margin in the mid-Pliocene collision. The postulated Sumba nappe has not yet been thrust onto the Australian margin which, in the Sumba region, has not yet converged as close to the arc as in the Timor area. The postulated Sumba nappe is interpreted as a diapiric elongated dome of the Sunda fore-arc that is being squeezed by the converging margin of Australia against the volcanic islands of Sumbawa and Flores.The absence of indications on the seismic reflection profiles for the presence of the thrust fault of the Sumba nappe may perhaps be explained by the thrusts being nearly horizontal within flat-lying strata.The Savu thrust is correlated with the probably older (pre-Late Pliocene) Wetar Suture as a major southward dipping lithospheric rupture. East of 124°E, this suture does not seem to have moved much since the mid-Pliocene collision that emplaced the nappes on Timor. However, microearthquake data suggest some activity is continuing.     

Discovery of possible mega-thrust earthquake along the Seram Trough from records of 1629 tsunami in eastern Indonesian region

Arthur Wichmann’s “Earthquakes of the Indian Archipelago” documents several large earthquakes and tsunami throughout the Banda Arc region that can be interpreted as mega-thrust events. However, the source regions of these events are not known. One of the largest and well-documented events in the catalog is the great earthquake and tsunami affecting the Banda Islands on August 1, 1629. It caused severe damage from a 15-m tsunami that arrived at the Banda Islands about a half hour after violent shaking stopped. The earthquake was also recorded 230 km away in Ambon, but no tsunami is mentioned. This event was followed by at least 9 years of uncommonly frequent seismic activity in the region that tapered off with time, which can be interpreted as aftershocks. The combination of these observations indicates that the earthquake was most likely a mega-thrust event. We use an inverse modeling approach to numerically reconstruct the tsunami, which constrains the likely location and magnitude of the 1629 earthquake. Only, linear numerical models are applied due to the low resolution of bathymetry in the Banda Islands and Ambon. Therefore, we apply various wave amplification factors (1.5–4) derived from simulations of recent, well-constrained tsunami to bracket the upper and lower limits of earthquake moment magnitudes for the event. The closest major earthquake sources to the Banda Islands are the Tanimbar and Seram Troughs of the Banda subduction/collision zone. Other source regions are too far away for such a short arrival time of the tsunami after shaking. Moment magnitudes predicted by the models in order to produce a 15-m tsunami are M_w of 9.8–9.2 on the Tanimbar Trough and M_w 8.8–8.2 on the Seram Trough. The arrival times of these waves are 58 min for Tanimbar Trough and 30 min for Seram Trough. The model also predicts 5-m run-up for Ambon from a Tanimbar Trough source, which is inconsistent with the historical records. Ambon is mostly shielded from a wave generated by a Seram Trough source. We conclude that the most likely source of the 1629 mega-thrust earthquake is the Seram Trough. Only one earthquake >M_w 8.0 is recorded instrumentally from the eastern Indonesia region although high rates of strain (50–80 mm/a) are measured across the Seram section of the Banda subduction zone. Enough strain has already accumulated since the last major historical event to produce an earthquake of similar size to the 1629 event. Due to the rapid population growth in coastal areas in this region, it is imperative that the most vulnerable coastal areas prepare accordingly.     

On-going orogeny in the outer-arc of the Timor–Tanimbar region, eastern Indonesia

The Timor–Tanimbar islands of eastern Indonesia form a non-volcanic arc in front of a 7 km deep fore-arc basin that separates it from a volcanic inner arc. The Timor–Tanimbar Islands expose one of the youngest high P/T metamorphic belts in the world, providing us with an excellent opportunity to study the inception of orogenic processes, undisturbed by later tectonic events.Structural and petrological studies of the high P/T metamorphic belt show that both deformation and metamorphic grade increase towards the centre of the 1 km thick crystalline belt. Kinematic indicators exhibit top-to-the-north sense of shear along the subhorizontal upper boundaries and top-to-the-south sense in the bottom boundaries of the high P/T metamorphic belt. Overall configuration suggests that the high P/T metamorphic rocks extruded as a thin sheet into a space between overlying ophiolites and underlying continental shelf sediments. Petrological study further illustrates that the central crystalline unit underwent a Barrovian-type overprint of the original high P/T metamorphic assemblages during wedge extrusion, and the metamorphic grade ranged from pumpellyite-actinolite to upper amphibolite facies.Quaternary uplift, marked by elevation of recent reefs, was estimated to be about 1260 m in Timor in the west and decreases toward Tanimbar in the east. In contrast, radiometric ages for the high P/T metamorphic rocks suggest that the exhumation of the high P/T metamorphic belt started in western Timor in Late Miocene time and migrated toward the east. Thus, the tectonic evolution of this region is diachronous and youngs to the east. We conclude that the deep-seated high P/T metamorphic belt extrudes into shallow crustal levels as a first step, followed by doming at a later stage. The so-called ‘mountain building’ process is restricted to the second stage. We attribute this Quaternary rapid uplift to rebound of the subducting Australian continental crust beneath Timor after it achieved positive buoyancy, due to break-off of the oceanic slab fringing the continental crust. In contrast, Tanimbar in the east has not yet been affected by later doming. A wide spectrum of processes, starting from extrusion of the high P/T metamorphic rocks and ending with the later doming due to slab break-off, can be observed in the Timor–Tanimbar region.     

The origin of mélanges: Cautionary tales from Indonesia

The origin of block-in-matrix mélanges has been the subject of intense speculation by structural and tectonic geologists working in accretionary complexes since their first recognition in the early twentieth century. Because of their enigmatic nature, a number of important international meetings and a large number of publications have been devoted to the problem of the origin of mélanges. As mélanges show the effects of the disruption of lithological units to form separate blocks, and also apparently show the effects shearing in the scaly fabric of the matrix, a tectonic origin has often been preferred. Then it was suggested that the disruption to form the blocks in mélanges could also occur in a sedimentary environment due to the collapse of submarine fault scarps to form olistostromes, upon which deformation could be superimposed tectonically. Subsequently it has proposed that some mélanges have originated by overpressured clays rising buoyantly towards the surface, incorporating blocks of the overlying rocks in mud or shale diapirs and mud volcanoes.Two well-known examples of mélanges from the Banda and Sunda arcs are described, to which tectonic and sedimentary origins were confidently ascribed, which proved on subsequent examination to have been formed due to mud diapirism, in a dynamically active environment, as the result of tectonism only indirectly. Evidence from the Australian continental Shelf to the south of Sumba shows that large quantities of diapiric mélange were generated before the diapirs were incorporated in the accretionary complex. Comparable diapirs can be recognised in Timor accreted at an earlier stage. Evidence from both Timor and Nias shows that diapiric mélange can be generated well after the initial accretion process was completed.The problem is: Why, when diapirism is so abundantly found in present convergent margins, is it so rarely reported from older orogenic belts? Many occurrences of mélanges throughout the world to which tectonic and/or sedimentary and origins have been ascribed, may in future investigations prove to have had a diapiric origin.It is emphasised that although the examples of diapiric mélange described here may contain ophiolitic blocks, they were developed in shelf or continental margin environments, and do not contain blocks of high grade metamorphic rocks in a serpentinous matrix; such mélanges originate diapirically during subduction in a mantle environment, as previous authors have suggested.     

Evolution of sedimentary basins from Mesozoic times in Australia's continental slope and shelf

Three basic tectonic styles are described from structural trends and sedimentary sequences within sedimentary basins in the Australian continental slope and shelf. These tectonic styles are related to sea-floor spreading events and plate-tectonic movements within the adjacent ocean floor. The same tectonic styles occur within sedimentary basins of different ages; Mesozoic and early Tertiary basins contain rift valley sequences and late Cainozoic basins contain geosynclinal sedimentary suites.Northwestern, western and southern continental margins reflect spreading events explained by an Atlantic-type model in which there are rift-valley sedimentary sequences. The oldest rift valleys in the northwest and the youngest rifts in the south formed ahead of Gondwanaland break-up. After sea-floor spreading commenced, the rate of continental margin collapse varied from place to place. The eastern and northeastern slopes and shelves border marginal seas and do not contain recognizable rift-valley sequences, except for tensional splays (triple junctions) in the Tasman Sea. Short-lived spreading within marginal seas started in the Late Cretaceous in the south and in the Paleocene in the northeast. The tectonism of the northern margin is mainly recorded on land in Timor, Irian Jaya and Papua New Guinea, where, in the Neogene to Holocene, the Australian continent collided with the Asian Plate at the Banda Arc and the sub-plates of the western Pacific at the Louisiade and Bismarck Arcs.     

Thrust tectonics in Timor

Recently it has been argued that the structure of the island of Timor can be interpreted without invoking the concept of major overthrust‐faulting. Using evidence from the Maubisse area of eastern Timor, Grady (1975) has suggested that the relationship between contiguous rock units in that area may be interpreted either as an unconformity or as steeply dipping fault‐planes. In the present account interpretations of the structure of Timor are reviewed and the concept of overthrusting is reconsidered. It is concluded that the structure may only be interpreted in terms of a series of overlapping thrust slices resting on folded sediments of the Australian continental shelf. The lowest thrust sheet, the Kolbano thrust sheet is composed of internally deformed deep‐water calcilutites. It is followed to the north by the Lolotoi thrust sheet, made up of a complex group of crystalline rocks varying from granulite to slate, together with unmetamorphosed ophiolites, clastic sediments, and massive Miocene limestones. Overlying this group to the north is the Maubisse‐Aileu thrust sheet composed of Permian crinoidal limestones and volcanics in the south, passing northwards into shales and sandstones. Within this unit there is also a marked increase in deformation and metamorphism from south to north. Slates in the south pass into mica schists, psammites, marbles, and hornblende schists of the amphibolite facies on the north coast of eastern Timor near Manatutu. A further thrust‐slice composed of ophiolites rests on this thrust unit on the north coast of western Timor between Wini and Atapupu.

The composition, structural state, and metamorphic grade of the rocks composing each of these thrust slices is described. The detailed relationships of the thrust units, including those of the Maubisse area, in the neighbourhood of the thrust planes is reconsidered. The case for the concept of major overthrusting is restated, both from regional considerations and from new evidence obtained during recent field mapping. This interpretation is placed in the context of a collision between the Australian continental margin and a detached portion of the Asiatic continental margin during the Cainozoic Era.     

Petrology of the Hili Manu lherzolite,East Timor

A spinel lherzolite body outcrops as a fault block on the north coast of East Timor. The most common rock‐type in this body is a clinopyroxene‐poor lherzolite, but there are smaller proportions of clinopyroxene‐rich lherzolite and harzburgite. The dominant mineral assemblage is olivine, orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene, spinel and calcic amphibole. Low‐temperature hydrous minerals are restricted in distribution.

The chemical composition of the peridotite is closely similar to mantle‐derived spinel lherzolite nodules and some alpine peridotites. The internal variation of the peridotite suggests variable depletion by some combination of partial melting and liquid contamination of the residua, in a CO₂‐rich system at 10–15 kb (1000–1500 MPa).

Three solid‐state events are indicated by geothermometry. The earliest event is recorded by coarse exsolution lamellae of orthopyroxene in clinopyroxene porphyro‐clasts. These grains formed at 1250°C. A later granoblastic texture equilibrated at 1100°C, and finally the rocks were mylonitised at 800–1000°C and 8–20 kb (800–2000 MPa).

The peridotite is probably a sample of the oceanic mantle trapped between the Java Trench and the Inner Banda Arc. Its emplacement on Timor is not related to obduction, but may be due to transcurrent faulting between the Asian and Australian plates.