JOINT CONVENTION 2003

Indonesian Geologists Association and Indonesian Geophysicists Association

Mulia Hotel, December 15-17, 2003, Jakarta

ACCRETION AND DISPERSION OF SOUTHEAST SUNDALAND: THE

GROWING AND SLIVERING OF A CONTINENT
Awang Harun Satyana
Badan Pelaksana Migas

Abstract
Sundaland presently composes the southeastern corner of the Eurasian continental plate. Terrane analysis
reveals that the Sundaland is made up of a number of terranes or micro-plates originating from the northern
Gondwanaland which rifted, drifted, and amalgamated in the Late Paleozoic and Mesozoic. Occupying the
position of active continental margin, the Sundaland has recorded the history of the growing and slivering of a
continent by accretion and dispersion, respectively. This paper discusses the process of this continental shaping
in the southeastern part of the Sundaland, the most complicated part of the Sundaland.

Based on the tectonostratigraphy, a number of SE Sundaland accreted crustal mass has been identified,
including : oceanic Meratus, continental Paternoster, Ciletuh-Luk Ulo-Bayat subduction complex, Bantimala-
Barru-Biru subduction complex, Flores Sea Islands, and continental Sumba Island. These crustal mass accreted
to the “original” SE Sundaland (Schwaner Core) during 150-60 Ma (Late Jurassic-earliest Tertiary) resulted in
the growing of the continent through amalgamated terranes and accreted mass associated with subduction and
collision.

Started at around 50 Ma, in the Middle Eocene, some of the accreted mass of SE Sundaland rifted and drifted
eastward and southeastward slivering the continent. The dispersed mass includes : SW Sulawesi through
opening of the Makassar Strait, Flores Sea Islands, and Sumba Island. This slivering has caused the
segmentation of the East Java Sea basement to presently extend more eastward than should be. The dispersion
of SE Sundaland is regionally considered to relate with tectonic escape due to India-Eurasia collision, marginal
basin spreading of SW Pacific areas, and sea-floor spreading of the Sulawesi Sea.

Reconstruction of the Sundaland may reveal that the growth and shaping of continents can be viewed as a result
of both terrane accretion and terrane dispersion. While the accretion of terranes results in continental growth or
outbuilding, the dispersion of terranes results in the diminution of continents.