No abstract

The term "poly-island ocean" is widely used to describe the Paleo-Tethys tectonic and geographical pattern (Fang, 2002;B. P. Liu et al., 1991). Among the present vast oceans, the Indonesian Archipelago serves as one of the most typical examples of "poly-island oceans" due to its unique geologic features. Specifically, it connects with the open western Pacific to the east and the hinterland of subduction and collision between the Indian-Australian and Eurasian plates to the west. The latter regime inherits the main characteristics of Tethys tectonics related to the northward subduction of the Indian-Australian plate.The Celebes Sea lies to the east of the Indonesian Archipelago. It is an ideal research area to study dynamic interactions between multiple microcontinents and oceans in a "poly-island ocean" domain, owing to its unique geologic location at the junction point of three major tectonic plates: the Indian-Australian, Philippine Sea, and Eurasian plates. In addition, the northeastern, eastern, and southern edges of the Celebes Sea are bordered with several subduction zones, including the Cotabato and North Sulawesi subduction zones and the double-sided subduction of the Molucca Sea plate (Figure 1). Numerical simulations have suggested that dynamic interactions take place in an active, complex tectonic setting composed of multiple