Quaternary Seabed Sediment Characteristics as an indication of VMS-mineral deposits at the South Banda Basin and its surroundings, Indonesia

Abstract

The South Banda back-arc basin is a morphotectonic environment that is part of the South Banda Basin, characterized by a flat morphology with depths ranging from 5000m to 6000m. The purpose of this paper is to analyze and relate morphometric aspects to the Quaternary seabed sediment deposits deposited in an active tectonic basin in the Banda Sea area, including information on the type of sediment and its distribution as well as its relation to volcanic hosted-massive sulfide (VHMS) or volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) mineral deposits. The seabed lithofacies in the Banda Arc area were deposited in several morphotectonic environments. The types of deposits that are deposited are pelagic, and hemipelagic deposits including turbidite and volcanic origin deposits. Volcanic deposits consist of gravel, sand, muddy sand, and silt which are classified very poorly to moderately well sorted. The grain composition is volcanic lithic, feldspar, augite, hypersthene, and enstatite which are commonly found in volcanic arcs and troughs. Groups of volcanic grains composed of pyroxene andesite, pumice, and tuffite or siliceous gravel, distributed in the northern and the middle of the volcanic arc area are interpreted to originate from the Banda volcanic complex and the Seram-Gorong islands.