Sorong Fault
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Sorong fault also (Sorong Fault Zone, SFZ) is an active, broad zone of inferred left lateral shear at the triple junction of the Australian plate, Eurasian plate, and Pacific plate, where many plate fragments exist, such as the Philippine Sea plate, Bird's Head plate, Halmahera plate and the Molucca Sea plate. It has been implicated in numerous large earthquakes. It is one of the two major faults created by the Australian and Pacific plate convergence, the other being the Ramu-Markham Fault zone. The fault triggered the destructive 1998 North Maluku earthquake which killed 41 people.[1]
The Sorong fault begins around Sulawesi and runs towards New Guinea. It marks the boundary between Halmahera plate and Bird's Head plate. The Sorong fault system has been documented to extend westward more than 500 miles (800 km) from Teluk Sarera to Kepulauan Banggai.
Geology
The fault zone juxtaposes Mesozoic-Tertiary continental and volcanic arc/ophiolitic rocks.
