Structural Influences on Seismic Stratigraphy of Nias Forearc Basin, West of Central Sumatra

R. G. Matson, G. F. Moore

The Nias forearc basin is a 250-km long, 100-km wide bathyal depression located between the mainland of west-central Sumatra and the island of Nias. A grid of multichannel reflection seismic data covering the basin and adjacent shelves was used to map Neogene structure and to delineate the Neogene seismic stratigraphy. Six major structural features, including the continental margin, strike-slip faults traversing the forearc, and uplifts within the accretionary wedge, were mapped, while 11 seismic sequences were identified within Neogene reflectors. Positive correlations between the structure and seismic facies distributions indicate structure has influenced subsidence and depositional patterns throughout the developmental history of the basin.

From a development standpoint, the Nias forearc basin can be subdivided into two smaller basins, the Singkel basin to the north and the Pini basin to the south. During the Miocene and early Pliocene, distinct facies distributions indicate that these two basins developed independently of each other. Subsidence in the Singkel basis was initiated between two parallel strike-slip faults that traverse the forearc. The geometry of the Pini basin, on the other hand, was controlled by the local character of the continental margin and by the uplift of the developing accretionary wedge. In the late Pliocene, a more unified facies distribution across the study area indicates subsidence of a more regional character and an increased regional structural influence over the entire Nias basin area.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #91030©1988 AAPG Annual Convention, Houston, Texas, 20-23 March 1988.