The Celebes Molasse in Sulawesi

Personnel: A.M. (Ega) Surya Nugraha & Robert Hall

Themes: Sedimentology and provenance; Eastern Indonesia and the Bird’s Head

Aims

This project aims to improve the dating of the Celebes Molasse, provide a modern stratigraphic framework, identify its provenance, define its palaeogeography and improve the understanding of the tectonic history of Sulawesi.

Background

The Indonesian island of Sulawesi is well known for its complex collision history but the proposed Neogene age of collision is still not well defined. Our knowledge of the timing of this collision is obtained from the Celebes Molasse. However, this formation is so broad that it includes almost all conglomerates and sandstones that were deposited unconformably above pre-Miocene rocks on the island. Therefore a detailed study of the molasse is required to better constrain the age of collision.

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.