Aang Panji Permana, Dewi Wahyuni K. Baderan, Ronal Hutagalung, Fadhil Abdillah Ahmad
The tectonic geohistory of the Gorontalo region, situated at the convergent boundary of the Pacific and Eurasian plates and influenced by microplate interactions, remains inadequately understood despite its high seismic vulnerability. This study reconstructs the Cenozoic tectonic evolution of Gorontalo using benthonic foraminifera fossils to address critical gaps in regional geological knowledge and support disaster mitigation efforts. Field stratigraphy was conducted in Ombulo Village, where limestone bed thicknesses (up to 25 m) and facies distributions were measured. Sixteen benthonic foraminifera species were identified using Olympus SZ61 microscopy, enabling detailed paleobathymetric reconstructions. Bathymetric corrections were applied using (van Hinte’s) midpoint-range method, and local depth changes were compared to global sea-level data using (Miller et al) to distinguish between eustatic and tectonic influences. The results indicate a progressive deepening from middle shelf (178.4 m) to upper slope (500 m) environments between 6.4–5.8 Ma, corresponding to a ~321.5 m increase in depth that is not explained by global sea-level changes. The study concludes that tectonic subsidence is the dominant process shaping the Gorontalo basin, with foraminifera distributions serving as reliable proxies for reconstructing paleodepths. These findings have practical applications in disaster mitigation (by providing baseline data for subsidence modeling), conservation planning (through the identification of geological protected areas), and energy exploration (by characterizing carbonate reservoirs relevant to hydrocarbon prospecting). © 2025, National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan. All rights reserved.
Geological Engineering Study Program, Earth Science and Technology Department, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Negeri Gorontalo, Indonesia; Environmental Science Doctoral Study Program, Postgraduate, Universitas Negeri Gorontalo, Indonesia; Researcher and Lecturer in Geological Engineering Study Program, Earth Science and Technology Department, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Negeri Gorontalo, Indonesia; Researcher in Geological Engineering Study Program, Earth Science and Technology Department, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Negeri Gorontalo, Indonesia
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