Late Jurassic–Cenozoic reconstructions of the Indonesian region and the Indian Ocean

The heterogeneous Sundaland region was assembled by closure of Tethyan oceans and addition of continental fragments. Its Mesozoic and Cenozoic history is illustrated by a new plate tectonic reconstruction. A continental block (Luconia–Dangerous Grounds) rifted from east Asia was added to eastern Sundaland north of Borneo in the Cretaceous. Continental blocks that originated in western Australia from the Late Jurassic are now in Borneo, Java and Sulawesi. West Burma was not rifted from western Australia in the Jurassic. The Banda (SW Borneo) and Argo (East Java–West Sulawesi) blocks separated from western Australia and collided with the SE Asian margin between 110 and 90 Ma, and at 90 Ma the Woyla intra-oceanic…

• RS
  Royal Society
• NE
  Natural Environment Research Council