Faulting and magmatism around Bone Bay, Sulawesi

Lloyd White, Robert Hall, Tony Barber, Marnie Forster & Marcelle Boudagher-Fadel

Aims
Sulawesi comprises of a series of microcontinental fragments, magmatic arcs, ophiolite complexes and metamorphic assemblages that amalgamated during the Late Mesozoic and Cenozoic. The timing of these events is relatively poorly understood due to a lack of geochronological data. The aim of this project is to develop a better understanding of the timing of periods of magmatism and deformation in the Latimojong region at the northwestern edge of Bone Bay. This project will provide key ages that help to define the timing of periods of deformation and uplift in Sulawesi, and help us to better understand how this island evolved through time. These will be particularly useful for our understanding of the tectonic evolution of Bone Bay.

Background
The Latimojong Mountains contain the oldest rocks identified in the central western arm of Sulawesi. These are reported to be Upper Cretaceous low-grade metasediments (Latimojong Formation) as well as ophiolites and volcanics (Lamasi Formation). These rocks are overlain by limestones and cross-cut by granitic intrusions, which have subsequently been deformed.

Recent Papers –

Max Webb et al., 2020. Isotopic mapping reveals the location of crustal fragments along a long-lived convergent plate boundary. Lithos.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lithos.2020.105687

Max Webb et al., 2020. The history of Cenozoic magmatism and collision in NW New Guinea – New insights into the tectonic evolution of the northernmost margin of the Australian Plate. Gondwana Research.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gr.2019.12.010

Amy Gough et al., 2020. Mid-Cenozoic fluvio-deltaic to marine environments of the Salin Sub-basin, Central Myanmar. Journal of Asian Earth Sciences.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jseaes.2019.104143

Recent News –

Amy Gough and Max Webb attended the Restech 2.0 Virtual Reservoir Conference. Amy Gough presented new SEARG research on the pitfalls of light mineral studies for sedimentary provenance in tropical climates.

Amy Gough was awarded an honorary research fellowship of the British Geological Survey and continues to foster collaborative relationships between SEARG and the BGS.