The southeast sulawesi continental terrain occupies a large area in the Southeast Arm of

Sulawesi, restricted to the northern part of this arm. The continental terrain, which trends
northwest-southeast, is bounded by the Lawanopo Fault in the northeastern edge and by the
Kolaka Fault in southwestern edge. The terrain is separated from the Buton Terrain by a
thrust fault, and at the eastern end there is an older ophiolite suite thrusting over. The
continental terrain comprises metamorphic basement, with minor aplitic intrusion, Mesozoic
elastic and carbonate strata, and Paleogene limestone. The basement mainly consist of low-
grade metamorphic rock. The elastic sedimentary sequence consist of the Late Triassic
Meluhu Formation. Paleogene limestone units include the Tamborasi Formation and
Tampakura Formation.

Basement

The low-grade metamorphic basement rock form the dominant component in the Southeast
Arm. The age of metamorphism is not clear yet. However, there are recognized an older
metamorphic epidoteamphibolite facies and a younger low grade dynamo-metamorphic
glaucophane schist facies. The older metamorphism was related to burial, whereas the
younger metamorphism was caused by large scale overthrusting when the Southeast Sulawesi
continental terrane collided with the ophiolite belt, The metamorphic rocks were intruded by
aplite and overlain by quartz-latite lava in places, especially along the western coast of Bone
Gulf.

Mesozoic sedimentary rock

In Kendari area, the basement rock are unconformably overlain by the Late Triassic Meluhu
Formation, which consist of sandstone, shale and mudstone. The Meluhu Formation
composes of 3 members: from oldest to youngest they are the Toronipa, Watutaluboto and
Tuetue Members. The Toronipa Member consist of meandering river deposit and is
dominated by sandstone intercalated with conglomeratic sandstone, mudstone dan shale. The
Watutaloboto Member is a tidaldelta deposit dominated by mudstone intercalated with thin
beds of sandstone and conglomerate. The Tuetue Member consist of mudstone and sandstone
passing up into shallow marginal marine marl and limestone. Sandstone in the Toronipa
Member consist of litharenite, sublitharenite and quartzarenite derived from a recycle orogen
source The Ubiquitous metamorphic rock fragment in the sandstone indicates that the source
area for the Meluhu Formation was dominated by metamorphic basement. The metamorphic
rocks were probably covered by a thin sedimentary succession. The small percentage of
volcanic fragments in the formation suggest that volcanic rock also formed a thin layer with
limited lateral extent in the source area. The rare felsic igneous fragment were probably
derived from dykes and/or sills that intruded the metamorphic basement. The Meluhu
Formation is time equivalent to the Tinala Formation of the Matarombeo Terrain and the
Tokala Formation in Siombok Terrain Lithologically, these three formation are similar, with
clastic-dominated sequence in their lower parts and become cabonate-dominated in the upper
part of the formation. Halohia dan Daonella in the Meluhu, Tinala, and Tokala Formation
indicate a Late Triassic age. The presence of ammonoids and pollen in the Tuetue Member of
the Meluhu Formation strongly supports this interpretation. The elastic sedimentary sequence
of the Tinala Formation, in the Matarombeo Terrane, is successively overlain by the
finegrained elastic Masiku Formation and the carbonate-rich Tetambahu Formation.
Molluscs, ammonites and belemnites are abundant in the lower part of the Tetambahu
Formation and indicate a Jurrasic age. The upper part of the formation contains cherty
limestone and chert nodules rich in radiolarians. The radiolarians suggesting a Jurassic-Early
Cretaceous age. In the East Arm, the Tokala Formation of the Siombok and Banggai-Sula
Terranes, consists of limestone and marl with shale and chert intercalations. Steptorhynchus,
Productus and Oxytoma are present in the formation that suggest a Permo-Carbonaferous
age. However, Misolia and Rhynchonella are found within a limestone bed in the formation
indicating a Late Triassic age. Due to lithological similarity between this formation and the
upper Meluhu Formation, a Late Triassic age is most probable for the Tokala Formation age,
while the PermoCarboniferous age probably represents a basement age. The Tokala
Formation is overlain by the pink granitic conglomerate of the Nanaka Formation, which may
have been derived from the widespread granitic basement in the Banggai-Sula Islands. The
overlaying Nambo Formation consist of sandstone and shale containing common belemnites
and ammonites indicating a Jurassic age.

Paleogene Limestone

Paleogene limestone sequence of the Tampakura Formation (400m thick) unconformably

overlie the Meluhu Formation in the Southeast Sulawesi Continental Terrane. The formation
consist of oolite, mudstone, wackestone, and locally packstone, grainstone, and framestone.
In the lowest part of the formation, there is a clastic strata consisting of mudstone, sandstone,
and conglomerate. The formation contains foraminiferas indicating a Late Eocene-Early
Oligocene age. Nannoflora in the formation indicates a broad Middle Eocene to Middle
Miocene age. Thus deposition of the formation must have taken place during the Late
Eocene-Early Oligocene. Initial deposition was in a deltaic environment where silisiclastic
material were dominant. A reduction in elastic sediment supply allowed an intertidal-subtidal
carbonate facies to deyelop extensively on a low relief platform. Carbonate buildups,
dominated by coralline limestone, and elongate carbonate sand bodies or barrier formed a
rimmed shelf that protected and enclosed the carbonate tidal flat environment and isolated it
from direct marine influence. Relfux dolomitizations took place in the intertidal-supratidal
zone as Mg-rich fluids moved back towards the sea The similar Paleogene carbonate
sequence of the Tamborasi Formation was deposited in shallow marine environment. Based
on their ages and lithologies, the Tampakura and Tamborasi Formation (probably also the
Lerea Formation in the Matarombeo) were probably deposited on a single broad shallow
marine shelf, The shelf surrounded an island composed of metamorphic and granitic
basement and Mesozoic elastic successions (Meluhu, Tinala, and Tetambahu Formation).
Equivalent units in the East Arm (The Banggai-Sula Terrane) include the EoceneOligocene
limestone of the Salodik Formation, which interfingers with marl in the Poh Formation.