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The sandstone beds are filled with sedimentary structures such as parallel lamination, cross-lamination, and ______.
wavy lamination
The Temburong Formation is interpreted to be located ______ the Crocker Formation in the stratigraphic sequence.
below
The Meligan Formation is dated as Middle Miocene to ______ Miocene.
Upper
The presence of planktonic foraminifera indicates that the Temburong Formation is aged Upper Oligocene to Lower ______.
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The Meligan Formation has a high composition of ______ in southwest Sabah.
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Liang Formation is of ______ age.
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Wilson (1964) suggested that the Temburong Formation is part of the ______ Formation based on lithology.
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The thick sandstone layer in the Gomantong and Sikuati Members contains ______ interbeds.
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The oldest unit in Sabah's geology comprises of ______ and metamorphic rocks.
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The dominant unit in Sabah includes the Crocker and ______ Formation.
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The Sabah Orogeny created the early Miocene Top-Crocker ______.
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The earliest episode of deformation occurred during the ______ to Early Eocene.
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In Western and North Sabah, the sedimentary rocks are dominantly of ______ and shales.
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The oldest dated sedimentary rocks in Sabah are radiolarian ______ of Early Cretaceous age.
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The igneous rocks in the region include serpentinites, basalts, and ______.
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Metamorphic rocks in Western and North Sabah mainly consist of hornblende ______ and gneisses.
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Most of the metamorphic rocks would have had a basic ______.
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Granitic rocks, which are of very small volume, could represent arc plutonic rocks intruded into an older ______ basement.
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The Rajang Group is a widespread association of Late Cretaceous to Eocene deep water ______ and turbiditic sandstones.
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All formations in the Rajang Group are thought to have been deposited in the large NE-SW trending ______.
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The strongly deformed turbiditic Rajang Group is interpreted as a part of an accretionary prism related to southeasterly ______ of the proto-South China Sea.
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Hutchison refers to this uplift as the ‘Sarawak ______’ which was probably driven by collision along the northern Borneo margin.
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The unconformity is generally difficult to recognize in outcrop in Sabah because of similarities in ______ either side of it.
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Uplifting and erosion of the Rajang Group accretionary complex provided a source of sediment for the Borneo ______.
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The extensional phase is associated with intra-arc rifting of the Sulu Arc from the Cagayan Arc offshore east _____.
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The Stage III sequence drilled offshore is dominated by ___ and lacks either reworked or transported bioclasts.
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Below the Early Miocene unconformity lies ophiolitic basement, which is overlain by an accretionary complex of ____ age.
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These deltaic to shallow marine deposits are recognised as forming two coarsening-upward successions, mapped as the Tanjong and ____ Formations.
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The total thickness of the Tanjong and Kapilit Formations amounts to ____ m.
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Middle Miocene subsidence in the central Sabah Basin is possibly related to the development of the ______ Sea Basin.
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Facies trends in the Tanjong, Kalabakan, and Kapilit formations indicate that detritus eroded from uplifted strata of the Rajang and ______ groups.
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The Late Miocene tectonic event marks another major folding and ______, correlated as the Shallow Regional Unconformity.
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The ______ emplacement event plausibly contributed to uplift and supply of sediments during the Late Miocene.
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The Late Pliocene tectonic event caused by NW-SE trending strike-slip faulting resulted in major structural ______ and uplift.
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Post-rift sedimentation continued after the ______ event, depositing thick prograding sediments.
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Progradation of a large delta resumed following a similar pattern to the underlying Meligan and ______ deltas.
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Arc-continent collision between the Cagayan Arc and Palawan Continental Block created another Middle Miocene ______.
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Study Notes
Sabah Geology
- Oldest rocks are Crystalline Basement rocks:
- Granitic and metamorphic rocks
- Found in Darvel Bay and Segama areas
- Triassic-Jurassic age
- Dominant unit is Crocker and Trusmadi Formation:
- Deep-water sandstones with minor shales and argillaceous beds
- Highly deformed
- Eocene to early Miocene age
- Interpreted as an accretionary prism formed during subduction of the proto-South China Sea beneath Sabah
- Sabah Orogeny:
- Created the early Miocene Top-Crocker unconformity
- Followed by deposition of neritic and fluvial formations, preserved in eastern Sabah
Western and Northern Sabah Geology
- Sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic rocks from Early Cretaceous to Pliocene
- Several episodes of deformation:
- Earliest episode deformed and uplifted basement rocks (chert-spilite formation)
- Occurred during Late Cretaceous to Early Eocene
- Controlled the development of an elongate basin trending N-S and E-W
- Basin became the site for deposition of Middle Eocene to Early Miocene sediments of the Crocker, Trusmadi, and Kudat formations
- Sedimentary rocks are dominantly sandstones and shales with minor cherts, limestones, and conglomerates
- Igneous rocks include serpentinites, basalts/spilites, agglomerates, gabbros, dolerites, andesites, granodiorites, and adamellites
- Metamorphic rocks are mainly hornblende schists and gneisses
- Oldest dated sedimentary rocks are radiolarian cherts of Early Cretaceous age
Southwest Sabah Geology
- Area consists of Temburong Formation, Crocker Formation, Meligan Formation, and Liang Formation
- Temburong Formation underlies the Crocker Formation in terms of stratigraphic sequence
- Temburong and Crocker Formations are dated as Upper Eocene to Lower Miocene
- Meligan Formation is Middle Miocene to Upper Miocene
- Liang Formation is Pliocene
- Meligan Formation has a high composition of quartz
- Meligan Formation is overlayed by Liang Formation with an angular unconformity
Tectonic Evolution
-
Paleocene to Eocene Sedimentation:
- Rajang Group is a deep-water mudstones and turbiditic sandstones association
- Includes the Sapulut, Trusmadi, and East Crocker formations
- Deposited in the large NE-SW trending Crocker Basin
- Highly deformed with tight isoclinal folds and thrusts
- Interpreted as a part of an accretionary prism related to southeasterly subduction of the proto-South China Sea in the NW Borneo
- Rajang Group is a deep-water mudstones and turbiditic sandstones association
-
Late Eocene Uplift:
- An unconformity exists within the succession of Palaeogene turbidites between the Middle and Upper Eocene
- West Crocker Formation includes detritus from uplifted and eroded Rajang Group rocks
- Referred to as the ‘Sarawak orogeny’
- Driven by collision along the northern Borneo margin
- Unconformity is generally difficult to recognize in outcrop due to similar lithologies and strong Neogene deformation
-
Late Eocene - Miocene:
- Uplifting and erosion of the Rajang Group accretionary complex provided sediment for the Borneo trough to the NW and to the SE
- The fold-thrust belt of the West Crocker Formation represents the accretionary complex related to continued southeasterly subduction of the proto-South China Sea in the NW Borneo
- Middle Miocene subsidence in the central Sabah Basin is possibly related to coeval development of the Sulu Sea Basin in a back-arc setting
- Facies trends in the Tanjong, Kalabakan, and Kapilit formations indicate that detritus eroded from uplifted strata and was deposited in a deltaic to shallow marine system
- All the Neogene ‘circular basins’ of eastern Sabah were part of a single NE-SW trending shallow basin
-
Middle Miocene Deformation and Clastic Sedimentation:
- Arc-continent collision in the northern Borneo created another Middle Miocene Unconformity
- Marks the Deep Regional Unconformity in onshore and offshore Sabah
- Deformation stopped extension and caused inversion of the early Middle Miocene sediments
- Continued subsidence and deposition of thick prograding post-rift sediments followed
- Progradation of a large delta resumed following a similar pattern to the underlying Meligan and Tanjong deltas
- Arc-continent collision in the northern Borneo created another Middle Miocene Unconformity
-
Late Miocene Deformation and Uplift:
- Late Miocene tectonic event marks another major folding and uplift
- Correlated as the Shallow Regional Unconformity of this region
- Kinabalu emplacement event plausibly contributed to uplift and sediment supply
- Development followed the Baram Delta prograding to NW Sabah and the Kinabatangan Delta prograding to NE Sabah
- Late Pliocene tectonic event caused by NW-SE trending strike-slip faulting and transpressional fault movement resulted in structural inversion and uplift
- Termed the Meliau Orogeny
- All the Miocene outliers in central Sabah were part of a single shallow basin
- Extensional phase associated with intra-arc rifting of the Sulu Arc from the Cagayan Arc offshore east Sabah
- Late Miocene uplift of the Western Cordillera of Sabah has removed much Early Miocene stratigraphic record
- Stage III sequence drilled offshore lacks reworked or transported bioclasts, in contrast to the very sandy Late Oligocene Kudat Formation outcrops
- Late Miocene tectonic event marks another major folding and uplift
-
Early Miocene:
- Below the Early Miocene unconformity lies ophiolitic basement, which is overlain by an accretionary complex of Eocene age and a late Paleogene deep water succession
- Late Paleogene deposits underwent syn-depositional deformation, including extensive melanges
- Local limestone deposition occurred during a period of uplift and erosion
- Influx of clastic sediments deposited in delta and pro-deltaic environments in the Middle Miocene
- These deltaic to shallow marine deposits are now recognized as forming two coarsening-upward successions, mapped as the Tanjong and Kapilit Formations
- Total thickness of these two formations in the Central Sabah Basin amounts to 6000 m, only half of the previous estimates, although the total stratigraphic thickness of Cenozoic clastic strata in Sabah may be more than 20,000 m
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Description
This quiz explores the geological features of Sabah, focusing on the oldest crystalline basement rocks and the dominant Crocker and Trusmadi formations. It also covers the significance of the Sabah Orogeny and geological developments in Western and Northern Sabah over various epochs. Test your knowledge on sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic rocks in this fascinating region!
