TEKTONIK

KALIMANTAN
(Hall et al, 2008)
 Borneo Present-day
No significant seismicity
No significant igneous activity

This was not the situation for most of the

Cenozoic

(Hall, 2009)
Harvard CMT
catalogue
 GENERAL GEOLOGY
Oldest rocks known from Borneo are
Devonian limestones
SW Borneo broadly connected to Malay
peninsula since late Triassic
Sundaland core includes Cretaceous granites
Cretaceous ophiolites and arc rocks surround
this core
Cenozoic sediments around and above this

(Hall, 2009)
Continental Fragment
Major basins on Borneo
 Paleogene
Eocene rifting formed Makassar Straits
Oceanic or continental crust?

Large sedimentary fan off north Borneo:

Crocker Fan
Igneous activity associated with subduction of
proto-South China Sea in the NW

(Hall, 2009)
Eocene rifting shown by syn-rift sediment

Ian Cloke, 1997

Moss & Chambers, 1999
Stephen Calvert, 2000
NW Borneo
Crocker Fan

NW Borneo
?
?
?

Continental
Landmass
NE Trending Thrust
and Fold Belt of
Crocker Ranges
 PROVENANCE OF CENOZOIC SEDIMENTARY
ROCKS OF NORTHERN BORNEO
Marco van Hattum

Royal Holloway
University of London
Sediment Character and Sources
What are the petrographic characteristics of
turbidite sandstones made up of material
eroded from tropical regions?
Is it possible to reconstruct the uplift and
denudation history of the source areas from
these sediments?
Were Paleogene northern Borneo turbidites
of the Crocker Fan eroded from Borneo,
elsewhere in nearby SE Asia, Indochina or
from even further (e.g. Himalayas)?
(Hall, 2009)
 Approach
Fieldwork in Sabah (Malaysia) to study the
sediments and to collect samples for
laboratory studies
Sandstone modal compositions
Heavy mineral assemblages and varietal
studies
U-Pb SHRIMP dating of detrital zircons, in
cooperation with UWA
Supporting geochemical analyses

(Hall, 2009)
 Crocker
Rajang Group
U. Cret - Eo

Geological
Cret Gran
Schwaner Mtns
elements
of Borneo
 Sources
Distal Indochina source
Material derived from mainland Asia by large rivers such as
Mekong and Salween. India-Eurasia collision is thought to
be driving force in the exposure and uplift of source areas.
Suggested by Hall 1996, Hutchison 1996, Mtivier et al.
1999.
Local Borneo source
Local tectonics and climate drive rapid local erosion and
sedimentation (suggested for Neogene by Hall & Nichols,
2002)
Little material crossing Sunda Shelf, which contains
abundant sediment traps (Hall & Morley 2004)
Current Asian drainage pattern not until 6 Ma ago (Clark et
al. 2004)
These two scenarios do not necessarily
contradict each other!
(Hall, 2009)
 Sandstone
provenance

~Middle Eocene

After Dickinson
et al. 1983
 Late Cretaceous
to Eocene
Rajang Group
sediments (Upper
Cretaceous - ?Middle
Eocene) have mature
recycled orogenic
provenance, possibly
distal source.
Detrital zircon morphologies

Euhedral
First cycle detritus from a granite

Subhedral
Possibly first cycle

Rounded
Polycyclic history

Marco van Hattum, 2003

Detrital zircon from Crocker Formation
Euhedral: 38%
Subhedral: 52%
Rounded: 10%
 TEXTURE
Zircon varieties in a
section of the
FRESH ZIRCONS

Crocker Formation

First or second cycle sandstones

Potential source regions of Palaeogene fan
Radiometric age data
 Eocene to Early
Miocene

After an Eocene event,

provenance change to
probable Borneo
source.
Granite (possibly
Schwaner Mountains)
and ophiolite material
(probably from Sabah)
became available.
Not obviously recycled
from Rajang Group as
commonly claimed.
 Drainage

Pre-Miocene

Present Day

AFT ages indicate that
Schwaner Mountains
have been emergent
since Late Cretaceous
Early Miocene
reorganization during
Sabah Orogeny that
caused major TCU and
DRU unconformities?
Provenance model for the Crocker Formation
 Sediment character
Paleogene Crocker Fan sediments were
mostly derived from Cretaceous and
Permian-Triassic granitic source rocks
Minor ophiolitic and metamorphic input
Unabraded shape of stable minerals: limited
transport, relatively nearby source
Sediment recycling and long-distance fluvial
transport less important than often assumed
Loss of apatite in tropical setting

(Hall, 2009)
 Sediment Sources
Eocene: Schwaner Mountains (Cretaceous
granites) were main source region
Oligocene: SE Asian Tin Belt (Permian-
Triassic granites and old metasedimentary
basement) became important source
Eocene-Oligocene drainage patterns were
different from today, with drainage divide
further south. Major Early Miocene orogenic
episode reorganized basin configuration and
drainage patterns
No distant Asian source
(Hall, 2009)
Igneous Rocks in Kalimantan
 Neogene
Major change with significant increase in
sediment production
Begins in Early Miocene
Major deltas build out, beginning with Kutei-
Mahakam
Inversion in Kutei starts in Early Miocene,
progresses east
Sediments from cannibalised older sequences
Inversion not due to collisions in Sulawesi
Must be driven by Borneo events to north and
west
(Hall, 2009)
Double subductions from NW and SE
Early Middle
Miocene Miocene

Late
Miocene Pliocene
Moss & Chambers, 1999
Moss & Chambers, 1999
McClay et al., 2000
 Carbonates
To north and south of Kutei basin are
carbonate shelf areas
Mangkalihat Peninsula and Paternoster

Platform
Evidence for strike-slip faulting
But importance, timing and regional significance
not clear
NE Borneo
( SABAH )
 Sabah Basement
In Sabah exposed basement is ophiolitic
Small granite body exposed on Kinabalu
Intruded ~10 Ma

Now exposed at 4 km above SL

Gravity suggests thickest crust beneath

Kinabalu
Ophiolites correspond to gravity highs and
thick sediments to gravity lows
 Sabah Neogene
Continental collision in Sabah in Early
Miocene
Important:
Offshore basins have large volumes of

sediment yet source areas very small

What causes onland elevation and basin

subsidence ?
Foreland basins, Sulu Sea related?
(Subduction)

(Collision)
Hutchison et al., 2000
Slab break-off

Uplift

Hutchison et al., 2000

Allagu Balaguru, 2001
Allagu Balaguru, 2001
 South Sabah Neogene
Continental collision in Sabah in Early
Miocene marked by unconformity.
Change from deep water turbidite deposition
to shallow water clastic and fluvio-deltaic
sediments
Allagu Balaguru, 2001
Jon Noad, 1998
 WEST SABAH CENTRAL SABAH EAST SABAH
PLEISTO-
CE NE

MELIAU
Non-deposition OROGENY
Uplifted SRU
U nit II
Belait Kapilit Sandakan DRU/IRU/SRU
U nit I
IRU
Serudong Deep/Intermediate/Shallow
Group Regional Unconformity
Meligan U nit II
Tanjong
Tanjong
Setap Shale U nit I Kalabakan Gom ontong SABAH
DRU
? Wariu Garinono Kalumpang Ayer
OROGENY
Kuamut
Temburong

Kulapis Labang
West
Cr ocker Kinabatangan
Group

Simplified from
SARAWAK
OROGENY Allagu Balaguru,
Trusmad i
Sapulut
2001
? ? ? ?
Rajang Group
Ma da i-B a turong

? ? ? ?
? ?
? ? Chert-Spilite Ophiolitic
Basement
Cr ys ta lline B as e me nt
Allagu Balaguru, 2001
Allagu Balaguru, 2001
Thermochronological
study of Mt Kinabalu,
Sabah, Malaysia
Christian M. Sperber
 The Kinabalu problems
Why is it at the end of the Sabah mountain
range?
It is very young, but how young?
When did melting occur?
What caused melting?
Why has Kinabalu been so rapidly elevated?
Why is it so high?
What is the connection between exhumation
and uplift onshore, and sedimentation and
deformation offshore
 Petrology of Mt Kinabalu pluton
Biotite-Quartz
Monzodiorite (BQM)
forms core of pluton Hornblende-Quartz Monzonite
Biotite-Quartz Monzonite
Hornblende-Quartz
Monzonite (HQM) forms
periphery of pluton
HQM enriched relative
to BQM in K, Rb, Th, Sr
and depleted in Nb
Reverse zoning
Cannot easily derive
HQM from BQM
Pluton forms
main
summit
View to NW
 Zoned body?

after Jacobson (1970)

 How old?
All age determinations by K-Ar method
 Age of Kinabalu: K-Ar dates
Location Rock Type Material Age (Ma) Error Ref

Main pluton
13455 ft Qu diorite Hb 13.7 0.7 [4]
9700 ft Qu diorite Hb 10.8 0.5 [4]
South Peak Qu monzonite dyke Bt-Chl 10.0 1.6 [1]
Lows Peak Qu monzonite Bt 7.6 0.7 [1]
Not given Monzodiorite WR 6.8 0.3 [2,3]
Not given Monzodiorite WR 6.4 0.3 [2,3]
Lows Peak Qu monzonite Hb 5.1 2.0 [1]
Paka Cave Qu monzonite Bt 1.7 0.6 [1]
Paka Cave Qu monzonite Bt 1.3 0.7 [1]

Satellite bodies
Tamparuli Bt Hb monzonite Hb 10.3 0.3 [4]
G.Nungkok Qu monzonite Bt 9.0 2.0 [1]
G.Nungkok Qu monzonite Bt 8.4 0.2 [1]
G.Nungkok Qu monzonite Bt 8.1 0.2 [1]
G.Nungkok Qu monzonite Bt 7.8 6.6 [1]
G.Nungkok Qu monzonite Bt 7.6 0.6 [1]
G.Nungkok Qu monzonite Bt 6.6 0.2 [1]
Poring Qu monzonite Hb 4.9 3.1 [1]

Float
Ranau Qu monzonite Kfel 14 [1]
Ranau Qu monzonite Kfel 10 [1]
Upper Wariu Qu monzonite Bt 9.0 2.0 [1]
Upper Wariu Qu monzonite WR? 7.6 0.7 [5]
Upper Wariu Qu monzonite WR? 4.9 3.1 [5]
 Still rising?
Al in hornblende suggests crystallisation at
depth between 3 and 10 km
Fission track ages suggest rapid exhumation
Glaciated summit
 Unroofing of Kinabalu: Fission Track ages
Location Rock Type Material Age (Ma) Error Ref

Fission Track
13455 ft (4102 m) Qu diorite Zir 9.3 1.0 [6]
12000 ft (3658 m) Qu diorite Zir 8.0 0.6 [6]
10000 ft (3048 m) Qu diorite Zir 10.2 0.7 [6]
9700 ft (2957 m) Qu diorite Zir 9.4 0.7 [6]
Tamparuli Bt Hb monzonite Zir 7.2 0.4 [6]
13455 ft (4102 m) Qu diorite Ap 7.4 1.7 [6]
12000 ft (3658 m) Qu diorite Ap 7.9 1.7 [6]
10000 ft (3048 m) Qu diorite Ap 6.7 2.0 [6]
9700 ft (2957 m) Qu diorite Ap 7.8 1.5 [6]
Tamparuli Bt Hb monzonite Ap 8.1 2.3 [6]

[1] G. Jacobson, 1970. Gunung Kinabalu area, Sabah, Malaysia. Malaysia Geol. Surv. Report, 8, 111 pp.
[2] H. Bellon, C. Rangin, 1991. Geochemistry and isotopic dating of the Cenozoic volcanic arc sequences
around the Celebes and Sulu Seas. In: E.A. Silver et al. (Eds.) Proc. ODP Sc. Results 124, 321-338.
[3] C. Rangin, H. Bellon, F. Benard et al., 1990. Neogene arc-continent collision in Sabah, N. Borneo
(Malaysia). Tectonophysics 183, 305-319.
[4] D.A. Swauger, C.S. Hutchison, S.C. Bergman et al., 2000. Age and emplacement of the Mount Kinabalu
pluton. Bull. Geol. Soc. Malaysia 44, 159-163.
[5] P.S. Lim, Y.E. Heng, 1985. Geological Map of Sabah. Malaysia Geol. Surv.
[6] C.S. Hutchison, S.C. Bergman, D.A. Swauger et al., 2000. A Miocene collisional belt in north Borneo:
uplift mechanism and isostatic adjustment quantified by thermochronology. J. Geol. Soc. London 157,
783-793.
 Link to offshore?
Rapid sediment supply
Repeated failures of shelf offshore

Is collision causing deformation offshore and

uplift onshore?
OR
Is rise of Kinabalu causing deformation
offshore?
McGilvery and Cook (2004)
McGilvery and Cook (2004)
McGilvery and Cook (2004)
McGilvery and Cook (2004)
McGilvery and Cook (2004)
 Possible explanations
Collisional thickening of crust and lithosphere
Thickened root causes subsidence
Subsidence causes formation of sedimentary
basins, filled by erosion from Central Borneo
Ranges
Melting induced by thickening of former arc
crust
Root becomes unstable
Delamination leads to influx of new mantle
Rapid elevation as root falls off
Eruption of basalts
Plume Extension
Delamination Slab break-off
Hall et al 2008
Hall et al 2008
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