Publications

The Island of Misool is located near thewestern edge of the Phillips, AGIP, CONOCO Production Sharing Contract area, between the tip of Irian Jaya and the island of Ceram. It is about 50 miles long and 30 miles wide. The highest elevation is just above 3000 feet in a longitudinal mountain ridge that extends along the southern half of the island. The relief decreases progressively in a northward direction. The coast-line is fairly straight except in the southeast where hundreds of islands and islets offer a good opportunity to study outcrops. Otherwise most of Misool is densely covered with tropical rain forest that con siderably limits the study of its geology. Misool island has special geologic interest. Firstly, there is an almost complete stratigraphic record from the Triassic to the present. The closest outcrops of Mesozoic sedimentary rocks of Irian Jaya are located as far as the central part of the Vogelkop and the Lengguru foldbelt in the bird's neck, more than 200 miles eastwards. Secondly, the island is located in a complex part of the earth's crust, which has not yet been satisfactorily explained by modern tectonic interpretations. Several scientists, most of them paleontologists, have visited Misool since the beginning of this century. Ample collections of fossils were made especially from the Mesozoic. In the thirties, Shell undertook a more complete survey. After World War II, the island was included in N.N.G.P.M.'s comprehensive exploration of Dutch New Guinea. Phillips Petroleum Company geologists conducted a 6 week survey in early 1970. Our field exploration was limited to the coastal area and was extended inland with the aid of partial aerial photography and complete SLAR coverage. Sampling of the stratigraphic section was the main objective of the surface study. Structural measurements were also obtained. Seismic investigation was later performed to the north, south and east, and several offshore wells were drilled. The island of Misool is basically the northern flank of an ESE plunging anticlinorium. The oldest rocks exposed are of Triassic age at least, and form the southernmost shore. The section becomes successively younger in a northward direction as the beds dip down the side of the fold.