Molucca Sea
The Molukkensee, also Malukusee ( Indonesian According Maluku ), is a sea at the edge of the western Pacific Ocean, right on the equator.
Geography
The sea is bordered to the northwest by the Celebes Sea, the west by the Gulf of tomini, to the south by the Ceram Sea and on the east by the Halmaherasee.
The Molukkensee is determined by the belonging to the Moluccas islands in eastern Halmahera and the Sula Islands in the south by Sulawesi and the Sangihe Islands in the west and the Talaud Islands in the north. Amidst the Molukkensee are the small islands Gureda and Maju. All these islands belong to Indonesia.
In the Molukkensee are numerous dive sites, for example in the Lembeh Strait.
Tectonic activity
Located in the east of the Sea Halmahera arc, belonging to the volcanic islands off the west coast of Halmahera, and the location in the west of the sea Sangihe arc to the Sangihe Islands and volcanoes are on the Minahasa Peninsula in the north-east Sulawesi, form a interlocking intricate system of tectonically active zones, which makes it often strong earthworks and tsunami and volcanic eruptions occur. Various theories and models try the tectonic structure of the Molukkensee explain.
After Peter Bird exists a Molukkenseeplatte, a small lithospheric plate, which extends across the southern part of Molukkensee that Ceramsee, the north Sulawesi and the Sula Islands, Seram and Buru. According to this theory the Sangihe arc related to subduction of the bird's head plate formed under the Sundaplatte. The northern half of the Molukkensee is part of the bird's head plate. The Molukkenseeplatte ends south of the volcanic arc, but subducted in the north of Sulawesi, in turn, also under the Sundaplatte. However, the theory does not explain the existence of the Halmahera arc.
Other scientists apply a model of Molukkensee collision zone. According to this model Molukkenseeplatte also exists, however, extends to the north from Talaudinseln. You subducted to the west beneath the Sundaplatte and to the east under the bird's head plate. Only in the middle of the material is still Molukkensee Molukkenseeplatte found on the surface, the majority of the plate is already suducted. The Molukkensee is now the only place in the world collide on the two parallel subduction zones. The two volcanic arcs form according to this model also microplates Sangiheplatte the west and the Halmaheraplatte in the east. The collision zone enters the Philippine Mobile Belt in the north.
The last volcanic eruption at the Molukkensee occurred in August 2010, when the Karangetang broke out on the Sangihe arc associated Siau island. Stronger earthquakes ( from 7.0 on the moment magnitude scale) occurred last November 29, 1998 ( 7.7 ), 4 May 2000 ( 7.6) 24 February 2001 (7.1 ), 21 January. , 2007 ( 7.5) and 12 February 2009 ( 7.2).