Plate Tectonic Activities in Banda Sea

The Banda Sea is a sea in the Maluku Islands of Indonesia, technically part of the pasific Ocean but separated from it by hundreds of Islands, as well as the Halmahera and Ceram Seas. It is about 1000 km (600 mil) east the west, and about 500 km (300 mil) north to south. Islands bordering the Banda Sea include Sulawesi to the west, Buru, Ambon Island, Ceram, Aru Islands, Barat Daya Islands, to the Tanimbar Islands, the Kai Islands and Timor inthe East. Although the borders of the sea are hazardous to navigation, with many small rocky islands, the middle of the sea is relatively open. Island groups within the sea include the Banda Islands. A number of islandsin the Band sea are activevolcanoes includingGunung Api and Manuk and Manuk in thge Banda Islands.

The Banda Sea occupies the main portion of the Banda Sea Plate. The southern margin of the sea consists of island arcs above subduction zones. To the east of the Sunda Trench is the Timor  Trough wich lies south of Timor, the Tanimbar Trough south of the Tanimbar Islands and the Aru Trough east of the Aru  Islands. These trenches are the subduction zone of the Indo-Australian Plate beneaththe Banda Sea Plate, where the Indo-Australian Plate moves nothwards. Fore-arc sediments progressively carried northwards by the Indo-Australian Plate have been folded and faulted forminf Timor Island. To the northeast lies Seram Island which overlies the subduction of the Bird`s Head Plateof  West Irian.