The generation of the Banda Arc on the basis of its seismicity
Abstract
The seismicity of the Banda Sea
region suggests the following generation model:
- The
Banda Arc originated as a subduction zone of Pacific ocean floor under the
Southeast corner of the Southeast Asian plate;
- The
Banda basin originally started as a back-arc spreading centre;
- The deformation of this originally Pacific subduction arc
in the present-day Banda Arc with strong curvature is caused by the adoption of
the northern most slivers of the northward-moving Australian plate by the
westward-moving Pacific plate;
- The
south-north compressive stress executed by the northward-moving Australian
plate is an important agent in the narrowing of the curved Banda Arc and exerts
its influence up to the region of the North Banda Arc;
- The
south-north pressure regime in the area is the cause of the three-partitioning
of the arc, the change of seismicity and stress field in the North and South
Banda Arcs, the location of the maximal seismic activity in the southeast part
of the South Banda Arc, and the seismic gap of reduced stress between the South
Banda Arc and the Sunda Arc in the west.
★Present address: Blauwkapelseweg 5, 3731 EA De Bilt, The
Netherlands 2) Meteorology and Geophysical Agency
Copyright © 1989 Published by
Elsevier B.V.
Banda-Arc