THE SUNDA AND SAHUL CONTINENTAL PLATFORM - LOST LAND OF THE LAST GLACIAL CONTINENT IN SE ASIA

Global climate change is the most significant phenomenon that may cont rol the global variations of sea level over the coming thousands of ye ars. During the alternate glacial and interglacial periods, ice-cap me lting and ice accumulation in the high latitudes change the ocean wate r volume, which causes the sea level oscillations. For the longer peri ods, the change of sea level is due to the change of the basin volume following basin uplift or subsidence and the tectonic opening of the o cean floor due to plate motion. Some maximum glacial periods were mark ed by the very low sea level, about 125 m below the present sea level during the last glacial maximum, drying up and exposing the continenta l platform that was quickly covered by humid lowland tropical forest. The following rapid sea level rise due to the melting of the ice cap s ubmerged the continent, transferring most of the carbon to the atmosph ere. During the very low sea level, the deep pass Indian-Pacific Ocean Gateways remained open, allowing the global ocean current to go throu gh the corridor between the two exposed platforms, Sunda in the West a nd Sahul in the East of the Indonesian Archipelago. Data obtained from these platforms will be important in order to understand the global c limatic pattern from the Last Glacial Maximum (L.G.M. 18,000 BP) which was followed by a rapid sea level rise.