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West Papua province in eastern Indonesia is positioned in a dynamic tectonic zone along with the collision of the Australian, Pacific, and Eurasian plates. The interaction resulted in the formation of strike-slip faults such as Koor, Sorong, Ransiki, and Yapen, that are prone to earthquakes in the region. The rocks of West Papua in the northern part are a contribution to the Pacific Ocean plate consisting of ophiolite and volcanic arcs of the archipelago, even while the rocks of the Australian plate in the southern part are dominated by quaternary and siliciclastic sedimentary. It has a wide variety of resources, including oil and gas. This study combines the interpretation of regional gravity and magnetic data derived from satellite observations to identify the subsurface structure of West Papua. This is performed since most studies were conducted on the surface and did not significantly focus on the subsurface. The composition of subsurface is determined through three-dimensional (3-D) unconstrained inversion modeling using the iterative reweighting inversion of regional gravity and magnetic anomalies as a function of density contrast and magnetic susceptibility of rocks. In depth variations, gravity inversion produces density contrast ranging from − 0.348 to 0.451 gr/cm3, whereas magnetic inversion provides rock susceptibility varying between − 0.363 and 0.223 SI. Gravity and magnetic inversions characterize the subduction of the Pacific Ocean plate in the north, extensive intrusion of igneous rocks, and low density-susceptibility contrast in the Bintuni basin as a source of oil and natural gas. The boundary between the sediment layer and the basement is believed to be 15–20 km deep, with rocks from the uplifted mantle in the north and a Silur-Devon aged Kemum formation in the south. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ambon and Seram islands in eastern Indonesia are located in the convergence zone of three major plates, causing this area to have many geothermal manifestations on the surface. A subsurface geological study on Ambon and Seram has been conducted based on the integration of gravity and magnetic inversion modeling to determine the intrusion of igneous rock as a potential source of geothermal energy. The gravity and magnetic inversion utilized gravity and magnetic anomaly data from the World Gravity Map (WGM) and the Earth Magnetic Anomaly Grid (EMAG), as well as the CRUST 1.0 global earth crust model, as the constraints. In general, gravity and magnetic anomalies in the study area are compatible, in which the southern part of Ambon is dominated by high anomalies and the northern part is covered by low anomalies associated with the Seram trench. The high anomaly is thought to be related to the intrusion of igneous rocks underneath the surface that have cooling and are rich in magnetic minerals, while the low anomaly is related to the destruction zone due to subduction in the north of Seram. The gravity inversion shows the distribution of subsurface rock density ranging from 1.86 g cm-3 to 2.82 g cm-3, while magnetic inversion produces rock susceptibility contrast ranging from -0.0034 SI to 0.0058 SI. Based on Curie point depth analysis of magnetic data, the bottom depth of the magnetic source is estimated at 25 km. The 3D subsurface model of Ambon and Seram based on gravity and magnetic inversion shows a massive and evident intrusion pattern with high rock density and susceptibility contrast down to a depth of 10 km. The distribution of high density and susceptibility is thought to have implications for geothermal resources in Ambon and Seram. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In early 2017, the geothermal system in the Suli and Tulehu areas of Ambon (Indonesia) was investigated using a gravity gradient tensor and analytic signal. The gravity gradient tensor and analytic signal were obtained through forward modeling based on a rectangular prism. It was applied to complete Bouguer anomaly data over the study area by using Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). The analysis was conducted to enhance the geological structure like faults as a pathway of geothermal fluid circulation that is not visible on the surface because it is covered by sediment. The complete Bouguer anomaly ranges of 93 mGal up to 105 mGal decrease from the southwest in Suli to the northeast in Tulehu. A high gravity anomaly indicates a strong magmatic intrusion below the Suli region. The gravity anomalies decrease occurs in the Eriwakang mountain and most of Tulehu, and it is associated with a coral limestone. The lower gravity anomalies are located in the north to the northeast part of Tulehu are associated with alluvium. The residual anomaly shows that the drill well TLU-01 and geothermal manifestations along with the Banda, and Banda-Hatuasa faults are associated with lowest gravity anomaly (negative zone). The gravity gradient tensor simulation and an analytic signal of Suli and Tulehu give more detailed information about the geological features. The gzz component allows accurate description of the shape structures, especially the Banda fault associated with a zero value. This result will be useful as a geophysical constraint to subsurface modeling according to gravity gradient inversion over the area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]