Week 2 - Tectonics
Indonesia is located between two continental plates and two oceanic plates and is situated within the Ring of Fire. Most of Indonesia sits on the southeast extension of the Eurasian plate and is bordered to the south and west by the Indo-Australian plate and to the east by both the Pacific and the Philippine oceanic plates.
The northward-moving Indo-Australian plate partially subducts under the eastward-moving Eurasian plate, forming the Sunda trench and the volcanic arc in western Indonesia, which created the islands Sumatra, Java, Bali, and the Lesser Sunda Islands. Active subduction in this area is responsible for the region's geography, volcanic eruptions, and high concentration of earthquakes.
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| Block Diagram of Indo-Australian Plate Subduction Beneath Eurasian Plate |
The Philippine plate moves northwest, subducting under the Eurasian plate, creating the formation of volcanoes in North Sulawesi, Sangihe, and Halmahera.
Block Diagram of Philippine Plate Subduction Beneath Eurasian Plate
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| Dukono Volcano, Halmahera Island |
The ongoing collision of the Indo-Australian and Pacific plates and the subduction of the Pacific plate beneath the Indo-Australian plate in the eastern part of Indonesia formed the Sudirman mountain range in the Papua province.
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| Puncak Jaya Mountain, Sudirman Mountain Range |
Geology of Indonesia - Wikipedia
The Geology of Indonesia/Regional Tectonic Framework - Wikibooks, open books for an open world
The Geology of Indonesia/Plate Tectonic - Wikibooks, open books for an open world
List of tectonic plate interactions - Wikipedia
Subduction zone beneath Sumatra, Indonesia | Earth Observatory of Singapore
Sumatra Subduction Zone (nasa.gov)
Nice tectonic set up!-It seems you'll have plenty of geologic activity to talk about, as those plate boundaries are so close!
ReplyDeleteGreat job! It was interesting to read your post as Australia and Indonesia are geographically close. I specifically like the last two images you included. Those photos made me feel like I was part of the experience.
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