{"id":5538,"date":"2022-11-14T16:39:00","date_gmt":"2022-11-14T15:39:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/s-ink.org\/?p=5538"},"modified":"2025-07-07T10:44:33","modified_gmt":"2025-07-07T08:44:33","slug":"sunda-java-subduction-zone-initiation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/s-ink.org\/sunda-java-subduction-zone-initiation","title":{"rendered":"Sunda-Java subduction zone initiation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\"Schematic<\/figure>\n\n\n
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Schematic tectonic reconstruction of the Sunda-Java SZI event (modified from Hall, 2012). Subduction of the Indo-Australian plate at the Sundaland margin has been episodically ongoing since >100 Ma. The most recent episode occurred at ca. 40\u201360 Ma and it initiated the new Sunda-Java subduction zone. Shown are the new subduction zone (pink line), other active (solid purple lines) and inactive (dashed purple lines) subduction zones, spreading ridges (solid red lines), and transform faults (red dashed lines).<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Sunda-Java SZI event might have re-started subduction at the southern margin of Sundaland with the Indo-Australian plate sinking below the Eurasian plate at\u00a0around 60\u201340 Ma\u00a0<\/strong>(50 Ma is taken as the approximate average of the below timings). This subduction zone eventually evolved into the presently active Sunda-Java subduction system (Hall, 2012; Heine et al., 2004; Zahirovic et al., 2016).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is generally agreed that the earlier accretion of the Woyla arc to Sundaland was followed by a hiatus in subduction along the margin. However, the absolute timings are debated. Hall (2012) initiate subduction along Sundaland (Sunda-Java described here) at 45 Ma (hiatus between 90-45 Ma) whereas the reconstruction of Zahirovic et al. (2016) suggest only a 10 Myr long hiatus with subduction initiating after 62 Ma (hiatus ~75\u201362 Ma). Nonetheless, the SZI event might have restarted subduction along the temporarily distinct destructive boundary by an episodic SZI mechanism<\/strong>. The general northward motion of the Indo-Australian plate driven by the surrounding northward directed subduction zones might have induced significant North-South directed compression and thereby fostered the new subduction zone. It is, however, also possible that the subduction zone re-initiated by a lateral progression of still active surrounding subduction systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more details on the geologic record, corresponding plate reconstruction, and seismic tomography, see\u00a0the SZI Database<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n