Origin and evolution of the North Banda Basin (Indonesia): constraints from magnetic data.

The North Banda Sea Basin is located in Eastern Indonesia. close to the tri ple junction between the Eurasian, Pacific and Indo-Australian plates, and opened during Late Miocene time in a back are setting. We use the magnetic and bathymetric data to depict this opening and the geodynamical evolution of the basin. We also take into account radiochronological datations availa ble from some dredges of its basement. Sea floor spreading occurred from 12 .5 to 7.15 Ma directed by three large NW-SE transform faults, namely the We st Buru, Tampomas and Hamilton fracture zones. Finally, a schematic model o f the North and South Banda basins evolution is presented. (C) 2000 Academi e des sciences/ Editions scientifiques et medicales Elsevier SAS.