Stratigraphic analysis of island arc-continental margin collision in eastern Indonesia

Eastern Indonesia is a s inuous plate margin interpreted as a collision between the northern margin of the Australian continent and an Asian island are. Detailed stratigraphlcal analysis of the collision zone in Timor reveals that pre-P]iocene deformation phases affected members of the allochthon before they were overthrust together onto the Australian margin in the middle Plioeene. The Australian facies para-autoehthon below the thrust sheets was not involved in these pre-Pliocene deformations. The distinction within the collision zone of dements having different structural histories and opposite facies polarity permits identi-fication of the plate margin which has bee