Bulletin of the Marine Geology, Vol. 30, No. 2, December 2015, pp.

97 to 108

Opening structure of the Bone Basin on South Sulawesi in relation to

process of sedimentation

Struktur Bukaan di Cekungan Bone Sulawesi Selatan kaitannya dengan

proses sedimentasi

Lili Sarmili
Marine Geological Institute of Indonesia (MGI)
Jl. Dr. Junjunan No. 236, Bandung 40174, Indonesia
(Received 07 July 2015; in revised form 23 November 2015; accepted 07 December 2015)

AB STR AC T : Sulawesi Island is situated on the three major plates, namely the Indo-Australian plate
together with Continent Australia (Australian Craton) plate moves towards the North - Northeast and crust
Pacific - Philippines moves towards the West - Northwest, causing the collision with the Eurasian plate
(Sunda Land) which more passive or stable. The Bone basin is located between South Sulawesi and
Southeast Sulawesi arms. This basin is formed by several fault system, such as, Walanae, Palukoro, West and
East Bone faults and others. Several active faults are likely to be extended each other into the openings
structure and characterized by the accumulation of young sediment in the Bone basin.
Keywords: Sulawesi, collision Bone basin, faults, sedimentation

A B ST R A K Pulau Sulawesi merupakan tempat pertemuan antara tiga lempeng besar, yaitu lempeng Indo-
Australia bersama-sama dengan lempeng Benua Australia (Australian Craton) bergerak ke arah Utara - Timurlaut
dan Kerak Pasifik - Filipina bergerak ke arah Barat - Baratlaut sehingga terjadi tumbukan dengan lempeng Eurasia
(Daratan Sunda) lebih bersifat pasif atau diam. Secara geologi Cekungan Bone terletak diantara Lengan Sulawesi
Selatan dan Lengan Sulawesi Tenggara. Cekungan ini terbentuk oleh beberapa sistem sesar yaitu sesar Walanae,
Palukoro, Timur dan Barat Bone dan lainnya. Beberapa sesar aktif tersebut kemungkinannya saling tarik menarik
menjadi struktur bukaan dan ditandai dengan adanya akumulasi sedimentasi muda di cekungan Bone.
Kata Kunci : Sulawesi, tumbukan, Cekungan Bone, Sesar, Sedimentasi

INTODUCTION Multichannel seismic equipment used in this study

The study area is in the offshore of Bone basin in consists of major equipment such as 4 airgun with a
between the two provinces of South Sulawesi and volume of 150 cu in each airgun, fitted jackets and
Southeast Sulawesi. Physiographically, it is situated arranged side by side (parallel cluster). In the
from the coordinates of 04À 00 ' S to - 06 À 00' S, and operational field activities airgun array was withdrawn
from 120À 30' E- 121À 30' E (Figure 1). 40 meters behind the ship, and the distance to the
The study area is located in the Bone Basin streamer behind airgun is 110 meters. During the survey
between the south and the southeast arm of Sulawesi. two airgun operated by blasting 25 meter intervals,
This basin bounded by the edges of the main fault given the limited ability of seismic magnitude
trending north - south axis parallel to the axis of the compressor about 190 SCFM in providing for the needs
basin which is support of the rate of sedimentation in of high-pressure air to the airgun. Active streamer
the study area. towed behind the ship at about 150 meters from the
stern. Along streamer installed three Digibird Ion 5010
METHODS on the front end, middle and back streamer, which is
Echosounder used is Sub-bottom Profiler and used as a streamer depth control. During the survey
Bathy 2010 echosounder Reson 420. Measuring the Digibird position is monitored by the Positioning
depth of the sea in this investigation is to obtain the Control System (PCS) with software DigiCourse at the
basic morphology of the seabed bathymetry map. Depth Geophysical Laboratory Geomarin III and sought to
data taken simultaneously at the time of seismic remain at a depth of 5-7 meters from the sea level. The
reflection. With the acquisition of more depth data will position of depth streamer is depend on noise
facilitate the withdrawal of the sea depth contour. conditions, if it is too shallow or close to sea level noise

97
 Figure 1. The study area of Bone Basin

wavelength would cover the signal reflected from the Hamilton 1979, van Leeuwen, 1981, and Parkinson,
seabed. 1991).
Conversely, if too deep, the sensitivity of the The Western Arm of Sulawesi is a volcanic arc
streamer will be reduced due to high hydrostatic consists of basement complex of middle Mesozoic in
pressure, or is automatically turned off when the depth age, Cretaceous to middle Eocene limestones, and some
exceeds 30 meters. Quaternary volcanic rocks. The composition of the
volcanic rocks is generally calc-alkaline. On Neogen
INTRODUCTION time (middle Miocene) volcanic activity spread across
Sulawesi Island is situated on the three major the West Arm of Sulawesi. The formation of
plates, namely the Indo-Australian plate together with sedimentary basins that have limited prospects only
Continent Australia (Australian Craton) plate moves during the Pliocene, that is, syn-orogenic Molasse (syn-
towards the North - Northeast and crust Pacific - orogenic mollase) and Miocene depression zone of
Philippines moves towards the West - Northwest, carbonate rocks (Barlian Yulihanto, 2004) mainly in the
causing the collision with the Eurasian plate (Sunda three mainland were constantly towards offshore. The
Land) which more passive or stable. These three plates region is a Sengkang sub basin on the east side of the
commonly referred to as Triple Junction. This collision West Arm of Sulawesi (near Bone Basin), also, Karama
produce smal continent fragments (micro continent), a and Lariang basin. Sub Sengkang Basin is a part of the
complex accretion prism, opening basins (extension), Bone Basin bounded by mountains Latimojong on its
melange complex, island arc and collection of reverse northern side, on the east by the Bone basin, to the west
faults and ophiolite rocks (Sukamto, 1975). In general, by the shoreline that extends parallel to the north-south
the island of Sulawesi, from west to east consisting of of volcanic arc.
West Arm of Sulawesi which is represented by a series The eastern and southeast arms of Sulawesi
of volcanoes (volcanic arc), Central Arm of Sulawesi mainly composed of metamorphic and ophiolite rocks.
which is represented by rock alteration and Eastern Tectonic contact known as a series of Batui thrust faults
Arm of Sulawesi which is represented by a complex of those are Australian – bird Head of Irian continental
ophiolite rock and micro continents (Sukamto, 1975, plates were slivering towards Sulawesi.

98 Lili Sarmili
 Couples of volcanic rocks and complex of This is thought to be product of a subduction related
ophiolite rocks as the evidence of the ubduction. The volcanic arc (Yuwono et al., 1987).
relationship of this model is that the presence of
ophiolite rocks reinforces the oceanic crust and the Middle-Late Eocene Syn-rift Sequence of the Malawa /
Toraja Formation
upper part of the Australian - Irian mantle were split and
eroded. The Middle-Late Eocene sequence is represented
Bone Basin is one of basin type that can be known by deltaic-shallow marine deposits of the Malawa/
in South Sulawesi, namely: Forearc Bone Basin (or Toraja Formation. Paleogeographic reconstruction of
outer arc) and the around the southeast margin and the Middle-Late Eocene age reveals that this syn-rift
back arc basin. This basin is located between the sediment was deposited in non-marine/continental to
volcanic arc and accreted non-volcanic arc. Bone basin marginal marine environments and gradually changes
with an elongated shape towards the south where the eastward to an open marine environment. This
position is located between the southwest volcanic arc facies distribution was strongly influenced by the N-S
and southeast part of the fore arc or at the complex orientation of an extensional graben system. The
collision of Sulawesi. The Bone basin consists of three formation of the associated extensional faults is
depocenter with a sediment thickness of more than 3 interpreted to be part of the initiation of the Walanae
(three) seconds TWT below the seafloor surface. The and West Bone Fault system that occur along the
basin sediment thickness can reach up to 5000 meters. western margin of the Bone Basin. In the Sengkang
Bone Basin tectonically is a part of fore Arc Basin Sub-basin, Eocene sediments of the Malawa/ Toraja
formed between the fore arc (Western Arm of Sulawesi) Formation comprise claystone, sandstones,
and non-volcanic arc (southeast Arm of Sulawesi). The conglomerates, coals, limestones and interbedded
Bone Basin is bounded by north - south trending faults volcanics. The formation is generally made of non-
which is almost parallel to the basin axis also support marine deposits that change laterally towards the north
for sedimentation process. of the Kalosi Block becoming dominated by red
The southwest side of the Bone Basin restricted by argillaceous sediments, being fluvial sediments in the
eastern of Walanae Fault and west Bone basin, where lower part overlain by fluvio-deltaic to marine
the northeast margin of the basin restricted by Eastern sediments and marine clastic and carbonate rocks. The
Bone Fault. Three main depocenter in this basin is thickness of these deposits varies between less than a
depocenter with dipping to eastern known as Northern hundred meters to over a thousand meters (Coffield et
Bone Sub Basin that is located at north of the basin, also al., 1993).
the two other depocenter are in southwest part of the Post Rift Sequence of the Oligo-Miocene Tonasa/Bone/
basin. Makale Formation
This basin is formed by collision between
microntinent of Buton with Sulawesi at the Middle The Oligo-Miocene Period was represented by a
Miocene. The basin is located in fore arc basin between period of tectonic quiescence, followed by widespread
volcanic arc on its west and non volcanic arc in its carbonate deposition that covered most of the South
southeast. Sulawesi Region and is equivalent to the Tonasa/Bone/
Makale Formation. In the western margin of the Bone
Tectonic and Sedimentation Basin, in areas of the Sengkang Sub-basin, and in other
onshore areas of the South Sulawesi region, Oligo
Pre-rift sequence of the Balangbaru Formation Miocene sediments of the Tonasa Formation consist
(Cretaceous) predominantly of limestones, sandstones, siltstones,
The pre-rift sequence is composed of the Jurassic and claystones. The Kampung Baru-1 well penetrated a
to Cretaceous Balangbaru Formation. This consists of 233 m sequence of limestones consisting of wackstones
flysch sediments deposited in bathyal to abyssal water, and bioclastic packstones. This was assigned to the
probably in a trench system. Cretaceous flysch is Bone Formation, which is considered laterally
associated with ophiolites of oceanic crustal origins. It equivalent to the upper part of the Tonasa Formation.
has been postulated that remnants of Cretaceous basins The Bone Formation in Kampung Baru-1 ranges from
formed along the late Cretaceous plate margin Early Miocene to Middle Miocene (N6-N9) in age,
(Bransden et al., 1992). It is thought that the Cretaceous which suggests marine deposition during the Oligocene
section unconformably overlays a metamorphosed in that area. Paleogeographic reconstruction of Oligo-
subduction complex and is itself uncomformably Miocene time shows that the area of South Sulawesi
overlain by Eocene sediments (Coffield et al., 1993). was dominated by the development of carbonate
Paleocene calc-alkaline volcanics of the Langi platform facies, which changed eastward to carbonate
Formation occur to the west of the Walanae Depression. slope and then to open marine/basinal facies. The

Opening structure of the Bone Basin on South Sulawesi in relation to process of sedimentation 99
 Figure 2. The plate boundaries of Indonesia (Hall and Smyth, 2008)

Figure 3. Geological Map of Sulawesi (Hall and Smyth, 2008)

100 Lili Sarmili

platform carbonates consist predominantly of skeletal RESULT
packstones andgrainstones, with skeletal grains
consisting of larger foraminifera and smaller amounts Bathymetry
of coralline algae, coral, bivalves, echinoderm plates, Sounding used with lines of seismic reflection
and subordinate volcanic grains. The basinal facies which the over all total lines is more than 967.100 km.
includes latest Oligocene to Early Miocene The all lines is divided into several lines, as shown in the
calciturbidites, olistostromes, and mass flow deposits, figure 4.
especially in the western basin slope and basinal area of Based on the bathymetric map, the basin is
the Bone Basin. indicated by wide basin on its south and the north side it
becomes narrow. This basin has a water depth about 700
Middle-Miocene-Pliocene Collision Sequence
- 3100 m below the sea level. The depth of the basin is
A Middle Miocene-Pliocene collision sequence also become shallower to the north. The south basin can
was initiated by the deposition of an extensive clastic/ reach about 3100 meters in depth. On the northern part
volcanoclastic section equivalent to the Camba of the there are severall small ridges, these phenomenas
Formation. Tectonically, the Middle Miocene time indicate the basin is still active in sedimentation. From
represents the period of collision of the East Sulawesi/ the middle to the south of the Bone basin the basin is
Banggai Sula microcontinent against the Early Tertiary marked by west or east contour those are parallel with
accretionary complex in Eastern Sulawesi. This the axis of the basin. On its west side of the basin, the
probably took place during the Middle Miocene, which contour is relatively tighter than the east side of the
resulted in left lateral motion along the Walanae and basin. It means that the west side of the basin has a steep
West Bone Fault Systems and is also associated with slope than the east side. The middle part of the basin
Middle Miocene volcanic activity. The Middle Miocene generally formed a flat morphology while the west or
paleogeographic reconstruction indicates that the the east side of the basin are marked by steep slopes.
volcanic chain was stretched in a N-S direction parallel These steep slopes are indicated by a very tight contour
to the Walanae Fault System. of elevated hill.

Figure 4. Line of Bathymetry and Seismic Reflection in the research area

Opening structure of the Bone Basin on South Sulawesi in relation to process of sedimentation 101
 Figure 5. Bathymetry in the Bone Basin of South Sulawesi.

Seismic Reflection If we look at the wide size of the basin, we

Single or multi channel seismic reflection has conclude that the basin has undergone the opening or
undergone on the study area with a total overall line is extention structures and end up by sedimentation.
more than 967.100 km. The seismic lines are mainly on
east – west direction in order to cut perpendicularly to Line 3
the axis of the Bone basin. The seismic lines are about At the seismic line 3, the profiles showed of
15 east-west lines with the longest line is 134.275 km, sedimentary filling both from west to east of the basin.
i.e, line 3 and the shortest line is line 17 which has a In general, in the middle of the basin the sediment
34.525 km long. Only a few line of seismic mainly become thicker and to its west and east sides are
trending east - west are interpreted and considered to become thinner. The basin is bordered by steeply faults
represent the research areas mainly related to the faults and those are indicated by uplifted basement from both
which are exist in this area. sides. The youngest sediment found on top the sediment
layers seems to be deposited when the basin has
Line 1 encountered the opening structure.
On seismic line 1 shown by the youngest
sedimentary filling at western part of the basin as the Line 15
result of active Wallanae fault. While on both side of the The seismic line of L 15, is almost on north tip of
basin are indicated by elevated ridge of the basement. the study area. The basin becomes narrow and the
The middle part of the basin from west to east is covered seismic profile is different with the seismic profiles
by a very young sediment. The active fault is interpreted before. The profile shows that there are no elevated hills
to motivate the process of sedimentation on the basin. on both sides of the basin. The contour is shallower to
The basin is limited by active faults on their east and the east to reach the west side of west margin of West
west sides. It seems that the basin has an opening Arm of Sulawesi. The youngest sediments filling the
structure indicated by young sediment that has pockets (channel) having a chaotic pattern interpreted
deposited from west to east. as a rough faction sediment coming from the mainland
or the result of river erosion. The seismic profile does

102 Lili Sarmili

 Figure 6. Seismic line 1 from west to east.

Figure 7. Sectional seismic reflection line 3 from east to west

Opening structure of the Bone Basin on South Sulawesi in relation to process of sedimentation 103
 Figure 8. Seismic reflection profile of L 15 from east to west

not shows an opening structure but the channel is docking of two microcontinent of Buton to southeast of
interpereted as a continuation of Palu-Koro sinistral Sulawesi and from the east (microcontinent Banggai-
Fault. Sula). At this period the reversal direction is expected to
occur either to magmatic arc and the subduction line
DISCUSSION from convex toward the ocean becomes concave toward
Tectonic of the Bone basin is based on the ocean (to the east). The action of arcs reversal on
interpretation of seismic reflection. The seismic Sulawesi those occur through the displacement of the
profiles show the Bone basin is bordered on both sides Earth's crust is called rotation.Southeast arm of
by two uplifted basement high and in the middle by flat Sulawesi rotates counter-clockwise so as to widen the
lying young sediment those are indicate there is an study area is about on Bone Basin to the west, North
opening basin in this study area. Arm of Sulawesi rotates clockwise so close Gorontalo
According to Satyana (2006), West Arm of Basin. Then at 5 Ma up to the present reversal Sulawesi
Sulawesi originally as a part of Sundaland which is an arc and tectonic escape occurred as a result of collision
island arc (magmatic arc). Then significant changes that (Satyana, 2006).
change the direction of both magmatic arcs and The evidence of the opening on the study area can
subduction of Sulawesi from convex towards oceanic be seen on the seismic lines indicated by two big
becomes somewhat straight. This conversion is due to sinistral normal faults. On some seismic profiles
changes in tectonic in surrounding areas such as the indicate the direction of sedimentation more active
opening of the Makassar Strait, the opening of the Bone came from the edge of West Arm of Sulawesi than from
basin, opening Gorontalo Basin, and the Celebes Sea the edge Arm Southeast Sulawesi. On seismic line L 3,
subduction. At 15-5 Ma there was a collision and on the west and east side of the basin is thinner than in

104 Lili Sarmili

Figure 9. Interpretation of the opening in the Bone Basin

Figure 10. Fault Interpretation sliding Basin Bone

Opening structure of the Bone Basin on South Sulawesi in relation to process of sedimentation 105
 Figure 11. Formation Tectonics Sulawesi Island (Satyana, 2006)

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