Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses Graduate School 1996 Holocene to Late Pleistocene Stratigraphy of the Mahakam Delta, Kalimantan, Indonesia. Johan C. Sydow Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses Recommended Citation Sydow, Johan C., "Holocene to Late Pleistocene Stratigraphy of the Mahakam Delta, Kalimantan, Indonesia." (1996). LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses. 6164. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses/6164 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand comer and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. Each original is also photographed in one exposure and is included in reduced form at the back of the book. Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced xerographically in this copy. Higher quality 6” x 9” black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. UMI A Bell & Howell Information Company 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor MI 48106-1346 USA 313/761-4700 800/521-0600 HOLOCENE TO LATE PLEISTOCENE STRATIGRAPHY OF THE MAHAKAM DELTA, KALIMANTAN, INDONESIA A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences by Johan C. Sydow B.Sc.Honours, University of Cape Town, 1988 M.S., Louisiana State University, 1992 M ay 1996 UMI Number: 9628318 UMI Microform 9628318 Copyright 1996, by UMI Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. UMI 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, MI 48103 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The person I'm most indebted to for completion of this work is my supervisor Dr. Harry H. Roberts. Harry put in a huge effort to get this project off the ground, a logistical nightmare that would require a volume in itself just to describe. His guidance and support throughout the study were invaluable. Floyd DeMers, Walker Winans, and Bill Gibson of the Coastal Studies Institute Field Support Group were the crucial members that prepared, built, installed and operated the extensive array of field equipment used during both field seasons. The quality, and large volume of data acquired over the relatively short field trip periods attest to the great performance of the Field Support Group. Dr. Charles Phipps constructed the underwater vibracorer, and joined us for the second field trip to operate his invention. The crews of the M/V Gagak and M/V Locater helped us overcome problems encountered when trying to operate round-the-clock with a five-member survey team. The project was sponsored by VICO, TOTAL and UNOCAL for phase 1, and VICO for phase 2. Dady Hendarmin, Rainier Latief, Tony Young, Art Astarita, and Alex Marshall, are VICO personnel that were particularly helpful and supportive throughout the project. Advice and suggestions by the committee members, Drs. James Coleman, Dag Nummedal, Stephen Murray, Chester Wilmot, and Robert Gambrell were appreciated, and contributed significantly towards a better quality manuscript. Mrs. Celia Harrod assisted with drafting of the maps. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .................................................................................................... ii A B S T R A C T ................................................................................................................................ iv CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................... 1 1.1 Objectives ............................................................................................................... 8 1.2 Physiographic Setting ....................................................................................... 10 1.3 Oceanographic Setting ..................................................................................... 12 1.4 Physiography During Glacial Periods ........................................................... 22 1.5 Geological Setting ................................................................................................ 27 CHAPTER 2. DATA AND METHODS ........................................................................ 32 2.1 Equipment ............................................................................................................... 32 2.2 Mapping and Interpretation Strategy ............................................................. 38 CHAPTER 3. HOLOCENE DEPOSITIONAL ENVIRONMENTS AND STRATIGRAPHY .................................................................................................................... 40 3.1 D epositional Environm ents ................................................................................ 42 3.2 Stratigraphy 54 3.3 Depositional Processes Influencing the Holocene Stratigraphy ........... 64 CHAPTER 4. PLEISTOCENE STRATIGRAPHY ................................................. 70 4.1 Pleistocene Stratigraphic Components and their Seismic Characteristics ......................................................................................................... 70 4.2 Pleistocene Stratigraphic Summary ............................................................... 108 CHAPTER 5. STRATIGRAPHIC MODEL ............................................................... 135 5.1 Highstand - Poor Preservation Potential ...................................................... 135 5.2 Falling Sea Level - Limited Delta Plain Extent .......................................... 136 5.3 Lowstand Turnaround and Initial Rise - PIS Delta Platform Aggradation .............................................................................................................. 139 5.4 Lowstand Shelf Edge Delta ............................................................................. 142 5.5 Transgression and Maximum Flooding - Delta Abandonment and Carbonate Accretion .......................................... 143 5.6 Cycles P2 and P3 - Modified Sea Level History ? .................................... 147 5.7 Stacking of Successive Lowstand Depocenters ......................................... 148 5.8 Sequence Stratigraphy ........................................................................................ 148 5.9 The PI Cycle of the Mahakam and Mobile River Deltas: Similarities and Differences ............................................................................. 151 CHAPTER 6. CONCLUSIONS ........................................................................................ 159 REFERENCES ......................................................................................................................... 161 A PP E N D IX ................................................................................................................................. 169 V IT A ................................................................................................................................................. 170 ABSTRACT Late Pleistocene depositional cycles of the Mahakam shelf contain stratal geometries that indicate a progradational continuum, from falling stage in sea level through to initial rise. These findings contrast with popular sequence stratigraphic concepts which predict that large, rapid sea-level falls, typical of the Late Pleistocene, should result in sediment bypass of the entire shelf. The Mahakam shelf is a mixed siliciclastic-carbonate depositional setting. Extensive, thick carbonate buildups are produced by prolific green algal Halim eda bioherm accretion during transgression and highstand flooding of the shelf. The 60 by 200 km study area lies within 2° of the equator, in the Makassar Strait on the east coast of Kalimantan, Indonesia. Stratigraphic architecture and sedimentary facies of the shelf have been mapped using over 3000 line km of single channel seismic and side-scan sonar, plus bottom sediment samples, and 44 short cores. This offshore data complements an earlier onshore study of the modem delta by TOTAL Indonesia (Allen et al. 1979). The stratigraphic framework is subdivided into depositional cycles bounded