A panoptic view of western margin of Sundaland: Causes of seismic vulnerability of Sumatra

The western margin of Sundaland is affected by two major tectonic events, the India-Eurasia collision and subduction along the Burmese-Andaman-Sunda Arc. Geotectonic analysis of the Burmese-Andaman-Sunda Arc areas reveals that it represents an arc setting exposed both in land and sea environment. Within this broad arc setting, there are individual segments that illustrate discernible trends in terms of structural, seismic and geological characteristics. The Equatorial Region around Sumatra has some peculiar geological/geophysical characteristics that make it a tectonic hotspot. Here a relationship between the active volcanism and the development of forearc basins is established. It is also proposed that the downgoing oceanic plate is more strongly coupled to the overlying plate where it is youngest (∼ 40 Ma), has the highest temperature and is topographically most elevated with highest seismic activity. In particular, an increase in convergence rate and presence of youngest oceanic crust appear to be the main controlling factor underpinning the tectonics and surge of recent seismic activity in Sumatra.