The Evolution of Carbonate Systems During the Oligocene–Miocene Transition: An Example of Subis Limestone, Malaysia

Abstract

The Subis Platform is considered one of the very few outcrops in Malaysia which records remarkable changes in the growth history of a carbonate system. The Subis Platform is located near Batu Niah, Sarawak. Stratigraphically, the Subis Platform is named the Subis Limestone, a member of the Tangap Formation. This article discusses the older succession of the Subis Limestone at the Subis-2 well and the Hollystone Quarry. Both well and outcrop indicate a slightly older succession based on the occurrence of larger benthic foraminifera and calcareous nannofossils. The age of the Subis Limestone ranges from Oligocene to Miocene, based on the occurrence of the larger benthic foraminifera Miogypsinoides sp. (late Oligocene, Te4) and Miogypsina sp. (early Miocene, Te5), as well as on the calcareous nannofossils Sphenolithus capricornutus and Sphenolithus conicus (Te4). The boundary between the late Oligocene and the early Miocene coincides with a sharp change from foraminifera-dominated facies to coral-dominated facies, shown at the Hollystone Quarry. The Subis Limestone records a transgression event from mixed siliciclastic–carbonate (Subis-2 well) to clean biohermal carbonates as shown in the outcrops of the Subis quarries. Our findings on the Oligo–Miocene boundary were then compared with those from other carbonates around Southeast Asia. It is clear that coral reefs existed in Southeast Asia earlier than was first thought, by Oligocene times. The role of localized tectonic events, siliciclastic influx, oceanic mineralization, and Indonesian Throughflow are the main controls to determine the biota changes from foraminifera to coral-dominated facies.