Aceh Basin Research Articles

Facies analysis, biostratigraphy, and provenance of the late Neogene Seulimeum Formation, Northwest Aceh basin, Sumatra (Indonesia)

A sedimentological, biostratigraphic, and petrographical investigation was conducted on exposed sedimentary rocks in the Seulimeum Formation in the Northwest Aceh Basin, Sumatra. Sedimentary facies analysis suggests a deep-marine depositional environment consists of an inner fan, middle fan, and outer fan to basin plain deposits. New foraminiferal data designated a late Miocene to early Pleistocene age for the studied rock unit, equivalent to N17 to N21 zone, with paleobathymetry in the bathyal environment. Petrographically, the sandstone of the Seulimeum Formation is included as subarkose, sublithic arenite, and lithic arenite, or classified as litho-quartzose, feldspatho-litho-quartzose, and litho-feldspatho-quartzose. Provenance analysis suggests that the origin of the sandstones is from the arc orogen sources. Furthermore, it is concluded that the development of the GSF zone in the late Neogene controls the formation of the deep-marine depositional setting. The west-south-west part of the fault is the footwall part (the Barisan Mountains), as the main high area of sedimentary source material consisting dominantly of the Woyla Group, with some contributions from Bentaro volcanic and Paleogene to early Neogene sediments. Our findings also suggest that the beginning of the Great Sumatran Fault, which corresponds with the uplift of the Barisan Mountains in the northern part of Sumatra, took place in the late Miocene, between 8.6 and 5.9 Ma.

Comparison of Airborne Electromagnetic and Ground-based Resistivity Observations: Case Study Banda Aceh Basin

Airborne measurements are very useful to cover very large areas. Nine month after the Aceh Tsunami and Earthquake in 2004, BGR (Federal Institute for Geoscience and Natural Resources) conducted a fresh water supply exploration survey within a project called Helicopter Project Aceh (HELP ACEH). The helicopter-borne electromagnetic (HEM) device operates at five frequencies. The HEM can estimate the 1D resistivity models down to a depth of 150 m for the high electrical resistivity areas and 50 m for low electrical resistivity areas. In this paper, the airborne data of 2005 are compared with resistivity data acquired in Banda Aceh basin in 2018. The HEM output consists of 1D resistivity models derived by inversion of the processed data. These 1D resistivity models are compared with the 2D resistivity models derived from ground-based resistivity measurements. However, the 2D models on the ground are transformed into 1D resistivity models so it can be used for comparison. The transformation is conducted by averaging the resistivity values in the each layer, so every layer only has one resistivity value. Both methods are influenced by many factors. For example, resistivity on the ground is affected by local conditions. The airborne measurements are also influenced by objects that are at the surface of the ground. In some cases, the airborne resistivity models have some differences in absolute resistivity values, but they often have the same structural pattern compared with the ground-based resistivity models.

Fore-arc high and basin evolution offshore northern Sumatra using high-resolution marine geophysical datasets

We present a morphotectonic study of the offshore northern Sumatra fore-arc high and fore-arc basin and an evolutionary model of the area based on high-resolution marine geophysical datasets. We show that the landward slope of the fore-arc high and the western edge of the Aceh fore-arc basin host a set of deeply-rooted, seaward-dipping backthrusts: main backthrust (MBT) and frontal backthrust (FBT), which we call north Sumatra backthrust system (NSBS). The FBT is imaged reaching the seafloor throughout the study area, whereas the MBT is imaged as a blind fault. Many landward-dipping imbricated thrusts (fore-arc high thrusts-FHT) are also observed below the fore-arc high, which along with the system of backthrusts have been responsible for uplifting the fore-arc high, shortening the Aceh Basin. On the landward slope of the fore-arc high, a strike-slip fault zone is imaged (termed West Andaman Fault - WAF - in accordance with previous studies), is readily interpreted as the product of the slip-partitioning at this oblique convergent margin, with a fraction of the arc-parallel slip localizing at the boundary between fore-arc high and fore-arc basin. Our results allow us to establish the evolutionary history of the thrust faults, strike-slip fault zone and the fore-arc basin. We suggest that the major structural features including backthrusts (MBT, FBT), fore-thrusts (FHTs) and the fore-arc high were developed during the Miocene, and that the growth of the fore-arc high accelerated in the Pliocene onwards owing to a sudden increase in sediment volume provided by the Nicobar fan.

Integration of borehole and vertical electrical sounding data to characterise the sedimentation process and groundwater in Krueng Aceh basin, Indonesia

This research aims to determine the characteristics of sediment and aquifer layers beneath the surface based on borehole data and the Vertical Electrical Sounding (VES) method as well as to map the groundwater protection zone for future generations. Thirty boreholes were analysed to determine sediment grain size and its structure at every depth up to 200 m beneath the surface. Six locations of VES were performed to confirm the presence of groundwater at every depth of lithology. The spatial analysis was used to scrutinize sand to clay ratio distribution of the boreholes data from which map of the groundwater protection zone of the study area was developed. The results reveal that the characters of sedimentation in the Krueng Aceh basin are influenced by terrestrial and coastal processes at a depth of −200 m below modern mean sea-level (MSL). Historically, the sedimentation process beneath −160 m is highly related to the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) event and sea-level fluctuation in Southeast Asia. The VES findings denote the clayey sands, sands, and gravel strata discovered in borehole functioning as aquifer layers and they are indicated by low resistivity value. The sand to clay ratio distribution mapping indicates that the centre part of the basin is the water resources zone, and it should be protected for future generations.

Estimation of Vs Structure of Krueng Aceh and its Suburb Basin of Aceh Province, Indonesia, Derived from Microtremor Measurements

The Aceh and Seulimeum Faults flank the Krueng Aceh Basin in Indonesia, and the shear-wave velocity (Vs) structure of the basin is not extensively available. Understanding the Vs structure is very important in order to figure out how the basin structures seemingly appear, and this can eventually be used to generate a microzonation map for other forthcoming studies. To provide this, Vs was measured over an area approximately covering Banda Aceh City and its surroundings, by setting two lines consisting of eight points projected in the NW–SE and SW–NE orientations. This research aims to facilitate the approximation of the Vs structure characteristics of the Krueng Aceh Basin using the microtremor array method (MAM). Triangular configurations were set by deploying four seismometers following an M-station geometry for three different array sizes (i.e., 3, 10, and 30 m in distance). The data were then processed by utilizing the spatial autocorrelation (SPAC) technique. The result shows that the Vs structure generally dips down from SE to NW, and it gradually declines from SW to NE. The combination of these Vs structures tends to be oblique toward the SW–NE direction. This form may be affected by the Aceh Segment Fault which is more active than the Seulimeum Segment Fault. The average maximum penetration depth and Vs are 603 m and 947.5 m/s in the SE–NW orientation, and 650 m and 958 m/s in the SW–NE direction. Generally, the thickness of the strata is greater in the upstream area compared to the downstream area. Their composition consists of alluvium (A) at the uppermost layer and diluvium (D) at the underlying layers. Then, all of the identified strata are aged from the Pleistocene to Tertiary Pleistocene (Tp). These characteristics of the strata could potentially cause surface damages as a result of site effect responses when an earthquake is occurring.

A PRELIMINARY STUDY ON AQUIFER IDENTIFICATION BASED ON GEO-ELECTRICAL DATA IN BANDA ACEH, INDONESIA

The aquifers exploration has been conducted at the western part of Banda Aceh, Indonesia. This research aims to explore the aquifer layer beneath the surface and to obtain the cross-section model of the aquifer. The Vertical Electrical Sounding (VES) method was applied to investigate the aquifer layer. The VES method worked as the current penetrated into the ground using of two electrodes and the potential response due to its current being measured by another two electrodes. Ten grid points of VES has performed in western part of Krueng Aceh of Banda Aceh using the ARES (Automatic Resistivity Meter). The Res1Dinv and curve matching computer software used in VES data processing and analysis. The result shows the resistivity value of aquifer in Banda Aceh city at the range of 1 – 12 Ωm for freshwater, and 0.1 – 0.6 for brackish water layer. The first aquifer (water table) found at a depth of 0.5 to 2 meters beneath the surface. The 2-meters water table mostly located near the coastal zone or downstream zone of Krueng Aceh basin and shallow depth of 0.5 meters on the upstream. More than one aquifer layers were found beneath the surface, they were separated by aquitard layer consisting of silt to clay layers.

Determining sources of deep-sea mud by organic matter signatures in the Sunda trench and Aceh basin off Sumatra

The content, optically determined properties, and stable isotope composition of organic carbon in fine-grained sediment cores were analyzed to investigate the origins of deep-sea sediments deposited in the Aceh forearc basin and on the Sunda trench floor off Sumatra from the late Pleistocene to the Holocene. In the Aceh basin, the depositional frequency of turbidite mud decreased as sea level rose during the deglaciation. The terrigenous organic carbon content was high at the end of the last glacial period, whereas during the deglaciation most of the organic carbon was of marine origin. In the Sunda trench, the Holocene turbidites consisted of remobilized slope sediments from two different sources: sediments derived from the old Bengal/Nicobar fan included thermally matured organic fragments, whereas those derived from the trench slope contained little terrigenous organic carbon.

What 2‐D multichannel seismic and multibeam bathymetric data tell us about the North Sumatra wedge structure and coseismic response

AbstractRecent large earthquakes have prompted studies to reevaluate seismicity and rupture propagation behavior along the world's major subduction margins. Our study area covers the entire fore arc from northwest of northern Sumatra to west of Simeulue Island, the southern portion of the 2004 tsunamigenic earthquake rupture zone. The accretionary prism width is up to ~180 km, water depths between ~4.5 km near the Sunda Trench and <1 km on fore‐arc high. The wedge consists of a steep outer slope (5–12°), a plateau ~100–120 km wide with anticlinal folds spaced 2–15 km apart, and a steep inner slope adjacent to the Aceh Basin. Analysis of seismic profiles and bathymetry reveal three main structural zones consistent along‐strike, from the trench landward: (1) predominantly landward vergent folds, (2) mixed vergent folds, and (3) predominantly seaward vergent folds. This paper uses those zones to propose a geometry of an underlying rigid backstop. This backstop is seaward dipping and extends from under the Aceh Basin to beneath the mixed vergence zone. A dynamic backstop possibly exists seaward of the rigid backstop and is responsible for the steep slope of the outer prism. Indurated accreted sediments form the landward vergence zone. Along with the possible dynamic backstop beneath the outer wedge, and the rigid backstop in the inner wedge, all behave as a solid block coseismically. This block allows great earthquake rupture to propagate farther seaward toward the Sunda Trench, with resultant hazardous tsunamigenic potential.

The West Andaman Fault: A complex strain‐partitioning boundary at the seaward edge of the Aceh Basin, offshore Sumatra

AbstractAlong the Sumatran subduction zone, oblique strain is partitioned between the Sunda megathrust and the strike‐slip Sumatran Fault located near the volcanic arc. Additional strike‐slip motion may localize adjacent to the forearc basin system, forming the Mentawai and West Andaman Fault Zones. An alternative interpretation of the West Andaman Fault, as primarily a backthrust, has also been proposed. We combine a 2‐D multichannel seismic survey (SUMUT) acquired aboard the R/V Sonne in 2008 with previous bathymetry and seismic surveys to characterize the West Andaman Fault adjacent to the Aceh forearc Basin. Two‐dimensional Kirchoff prestack time migration of SUMUT profiles provides the clearest images to date of this portion of the West Andaman Fault. In these images we interpret inward dipping fault segments along the West Andaman Fault indicative of a transpressional flower structure. A reflector at the base of the Aceh Basin sediments (believed to be base Neogene in age) continues trenchward of the fault zone for >15 km and has geometry inconsistent with the geometry expected if a major backthrust were to daylight at the edge of the basin. Therefore, we conclude that the West Andaman Fault is predominantly strike‐slip in nature. As such, the West Andaman is likely part of a system of faults including the Sumatran Fault that accommodate the significant shear component of strain in this oblique subduction zone. Additionally, the location of the West Andaman Fault within the forearc may be controlled by the rheologic contrast between the marginal plateau and the forearc basin.

Magnetic Properties of Coring Samples from Aceh Basin West Off Sumatera Island

Three oriented core samples was taken by Japanese MIRAI Research Vessel in Aceh Basin west of the Sumatera Island. 927 small box samples from 3 coring samples was measure. Core bottom ages of three cores are in the last glacial maximum (around 19 kyBP). We measured Natural Remanent Magnetization (NRM), NRM after Alternating Field Demagnetization up to 800 Oe. Measurement of NRM have done by 2G Enterprice Squid, Isothermal Remanent Magnetization (IRM) and Anhysteretic Remanent Magnetization (ARM) on Paleomagnetic Laboratory of Geological Survey of Japan. Result of NRM after Alternating Field Demagnetization shows that there are reverse polarizaty magnetizations. This reverse polarity seems not usual since in Geologic Time Scale 1989 showed that the first reversal polarity was between Brunches Normal Epoch and Jaramillo Epoch beginning at 0.75 Ma There are some possibility of reverse polarity events contained in the three cores mentioned above. The first possibility is the result of the tsunami so that the sediment that settles on the Aceh Basin was a sediment that remain turbid flows that enable magnetic recording on magnetic sediment did not follow directions when he formed so that it seems a polarity reverse polarity when only superficial. The second possibility is indeed occurs under reverse polarity at age 700.000 years. Research in Argentina, South America show that between 11 thousand to two thousand years ago there was an excursion from the magnetic polarity produces some reverse polarity at the time (Nami, 1999). The third possibility was circular variation magnetic.

Splay faults imaged by fluid-driven aftershocks of the 2004 Mw 9.2 Sumatra-Andaman earthquake

High-precision teleseismic double-difference locations and focal mechanisms of aftershocks of the A.D. 2004 M w 9.2 Sumatra-Andaman earthquake illuminate an active imbricate fault system in the accretionary prism offshore northern Sumatra. They reveal repeated failure of a shallow northeast-dipping thrust fault above the megathrust, which we interpret to be the reactivation of a splay fault that rises from the megathrust at ∼55 km depth and cuts through the overriding Sunda plate. The projected intersection of the splay fault with the seafloor correlates with a recently active thrust fault seen in postseismic bathymetry data west of the Aceh basin. A spatiotemporal analysis of the streaky aftershock distribution indicates that ascending fluids released from the subducting oceanic crust along inherited seafloor fabric may control brittle fracture in the overriding plate. We speculate that if the splay fault was active coseismically, it may have led to amplified vertical uplift of the forearc ridge and contributed to generating the cataclysmic near-field tsunami that struck the northwest Sumatra coast following the 2004 rupture.

Seismic imaging of forearc backthrusts at northern Sumatra subduction zone

Forearc tectonics at accretionary convergent margins has variously been studied using analogue and numerical modelling techniques. Numerous geophysical investigations have targeted the subsurface structure of active forearc settings at convergent margins. However, several critical details of the structure, mode of tectonic evolution and the role forearcs play in the subduction seismic cycle remain to be further understood, especially for large accretionary margins. In this study, we present a high-resolution deep seismic reflection image of the northern Sumatran subduction forearc, near the 2004 December 26 Sumatra earthquake epicentral region. The profile clearly demarcates the backthrust branches at the seaward edge of the Aceh forearc basin, along which the inner forearc continues to evolve. Sharp bathymetric features at the seafloor suggest that the imaged backthrusts are active. Coincident wide-angle seismic tomographic image of the Sumatra forearc allows us to image the geometry of the seaward dipping backstop buttress, with which the imaged backthrust branches are associated. The presence of forearc backthrusting confirms model predictions for the development of backthrusting over seaward dipping backstops. The West Andaman fault at the seaward edge of Aceh basin appears to be a shallow tributary of the backthrust and sheds light on the complex deformation of the forearc. Uplifting along the backthrust branches may explain the presence of forearc islands observed all along Sumatran margin and help further constrain the tectonic models for their evolution. Moreover, if these backthrusts slip coseismically, they would contribute to tsunamigenesis and seismic risk in the region.

Structural evolution and strike-slip tectonics off north-western Sumatra

Based on new multi-channel seismic data, swath bathymetry, and sediment echosounder data we present a model for the interaction between strike-slip faulting and forearc basin evolution off north-western Sumatra between 2°N and 7°N. We examined seismic sequences and sea floor morphology of the Simeulue- and Aceh forearc basins and the adjacent outer arc high. We found that strike-slip faulting has controlled the forearc basin evolution since the Late Miocene. The Mentawai Fault Zone extends up to the north of Simeulue Island and was most probably connected farther northwards to the Sumatran Fault Zone until the end of the Miocene. Since then, this northern branch jumped westwards, initiating the West Andaman Fault in the Aceh area. The connection to the Mentawai Fault Zone is a left-hand step-over. In this transpressional setting the Tuba Ridge developed. We found a right-lateral strike-slip fault running from the conjunction of the West Andaman Fault and the Tuba Ridge in SSW-direction crossing the outer arc high. As a result, extrusion formed a marginal basin north of Simeulue Island which is tilted eastwards by uplift along a thrust fault in the west. The shift of strike-slip movement in the Aceh segment is accompanied by a relocation of the depocenter of the Aceh Basin to the northwest, forming one major Neogene unconformity. The Simeulue Basin bears two major Neogene unconformities, documenting that differences in subsidence evolution along the northern Sumatran margin are linked to both forearc-evolution related to subduction processes and to deformation along major strike-slip faults.

Spatial aftershock distribution of the 26 December 2004 great Sumatra‐Andaman earthquake in the northern Sumatra area

In July 2005, about 6 months after the 2004 great Sumatra‐Andaman earthquake, 20 ocean bottom seismometers were deployed in the northern Sumatra area. More than 1000 events were identified during the 12 day recording period. After relocation, the seismicity shows different patterns on each side of the Lower Splay Fault. East of this feature and beneath the Aceh basin and fore arc, the deep earthquakes outline the subduction megathrust fault. West of it, the aftershocks distribution is strongly influenced by the active N–S oceanic fracture zones of the subducted plate. Two N–S trending clusters of 10‐ to 50‐km‐deep earthquakes observed below the lower wedge are interpreted as reactivated oceanic fracture zones. The postseismic activity suggests a significant influence of the N–S active fracture zones of the oceanic plate on the toe of the wedge explaining the dextral wrenching of wedge thrusts in the morphology. The megathrust fault does not extend to the trench but outcrops east of these active oceanic fractures and seems to merge upward along the Lower Splay Fault where shallow earthquakes are observed.

Deformation of the northern Sumatra accretionary prism from high-resolution seismic reflection profiles and ROV observations

Following the 2004 Great Sumatran–Andaman M w ≈ 9.2 earthquake, high-resolution seismic reflection, multibeam bathymetric and remotely operated vehicle data were acquired to investigate the tectonic framework of the rupture zone and search for evidence of seafloor and near-surface displacement. Three distinct regions off northern Sumatra were investigated; 1) a portion of the Sunda Trench, 2) the adjacent frontal deformation zone, and 3) the seaward flank of the Aceh (forearc) Basin. A thick (> 1.5 km) sediment section within the Sunda Trench shows evidence of shallow normal faulting, possibly representing early stages of assimilation into the accretionary wedge. The frontal deformation zone consists of ridges of predominantly landward-verging thrust folds. Seaward-verging backthrust faults at or near the base of the steep slope commonly reach the seafloor. We do not observe a single, laterally extensive structural offset at the deformation front that might be interpreted as contributing to the 2004 tsunami. Rather, a series of small-offset (tens of metres) faults were noted across this broad zone of the frontal accretionary wedge. The western boundary of the Aceh (forearc) Basin is the West Andaman strike-slip fault, juxtaposing the accretionary complex's forearc high with basin fill sediments. Neither the seismic nor ROV data show evidence of recent seafloor displacement along the fault trace. Basin infill demonstrates consistent along-strike patterns of tilting and seaward subsidence during sedimentation, while modern fill is flat-lying and coherent across the entire basin. Intercalated chaotic layers interpreted as mass transport deposits may record a history of seismicity, but recent examples of such deposits were not observed on the modern seafloor, either seaward of the deformation front or in the Aceh Basin. Lack of any evidence of faulting, offset or disruption of sediments within Aceh Basin suggests that there was little impact of the 2004 earthquake in this area. Distributed faults throughout the frontal deformation zone, combined with observations of landward-verging folds at the deformation front, folding within piggy-back basin sediments, and lack of evidence of disruption along the West Andaman Fault zone and within the forearc basin all support strain partitioning across the margin. A proposed strong wedge interior may act as a backstop during major thrust events, constraining deformation to the frontal deformation zone and the slope apron. Tsunami generation in response to the 2004 event did not result from surficial displacements along a single fault or narrow fault zone at the toe of the deformation front, but was more likely a result of vertical displacement across the entire outer forearc.

Accretion, mass wasting, and partitioned strain over the 26 Dec 2004 Mw9.2 rupture offshore Aceh, northern Sumatra

The Aceh segment of the Sunda Arc absorbed the largest slip along the 26 December 2004 Mw9.2 subduction earthquake rupture and caused the highest and most disastrous tsunami run-ups. Sea floor disruption marks the frontal active part of the accretionary prism along that segment. An ROV, bathymetric, and seismic survey (R/V Natsushima, JAMSTEC 2-3/2005) revealed pervasive and deeply rooted fracturing along the upper trench slope. Grabens and ejecta clasts (from fluid escape?) along the crest of an anticline ridge coupled with mass wasting and erosional scouring on the slope below it. Specific features of the disruption and its patchy distribution suggest coseismic faulting and folding with gravitational collapse of the steepened anticline forelimb. The same ridge 40 km along strike was pristine. Disruption was also generally undetected by ROV on the Ache Basin side of the forearc ridge, suggesting a minor role for shaking. Only some of the faults in the imbricate and segmented accretionary structure ruptured, but together they may account for 2004 sea-floor rupture along the Aceh segment. This hypothesis accounts for unusual thrust aftershocks and suspended sediment along the frontal active part of the prism. It can also account for the huge tsunami heights in northern Sumatra because faults in the prism are steeper than the megathrust down-dip and because slip may be larger in the prism following prior blind ruptures. Rare but large coseismic deformation of the prism can generally account for the erosional morphology of trench slopes and for al least some ‘tsunami earthquakes’. On the landward side of the forearc high, the West Andaman fault borders the Aceh Basin and branches southward into a fault crossing obliquely the forearc high. Seismic profiles at the bifurcation image a flower structure with strain partitioning and an active dextral pull-apart. This fault system, however, did not release significant strain in 2004.

Aftershock distribution of the 26 December 2004 Sumatra-Andaman earthquake from ocean bottom seismographic observation

AbstractWe deployed an OBS network in February–March 2005 in the rupture area of the Sumatra Andaman earthquake on 26 December 2004. We placed 17 short-term OBSs and two long-term OBSs, and recovered OBSs after observation for 19–22 days. The hypocenter distribution from 10-day data of 17 OBS revealed the detailed structure of aftershock seismicity offshore of Sumatra Island. Aftershock seismicity associated with the subducting slab starts 40 km inward from the Sunda trench axis; it ceases at 50 km depth beneath the Aceh Basin, approximately 240 km inward from the trench axis. Aftershocks in 120–170 km from the trench axis consist of a surface with a dip of 10–12° dominated by a dip-extension type mechanism. Beyond the southwestern edge of the Aceh Basin, the aftershock activity becomes higher, and dominated by dip-slip type earthquakes, with a slightly increased dipping angle of 15–20°. Three along-arc bands of shallow seismicity were identified at 70 km inward from the Sumatra trench, 110 km inward from the trench, and in the south of the Aceh Basin. These locations correspond to steep topographic slopes in the accretionary prism, suggesting the present evolutional activity of the accretionary prism offshore Sumatra Island.