Asian Trans-Disciplinary Karst Conference 2011, Yogyakarta-INDONESIA

FACIES AND DEPOSITIONAL ENVIRONMENT OF WONOSARI FORMATION, EASTERN PART OF THE SOUTHERN MOUNTAIN, PACITAN, AS A RESPONSE TO SEA LEVEL CHANGE Vivi Dewi Mardiana Nusantara1, Moch. Indra Novian2, Salahuddin Husein3
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Dept. of Geological Engineering (Email address author1?) Undergraduate student, vivi_nusantara@yahoo.co.id 3 (Affiliation and email address author3?) Abstract Wonosari Formation exposed in the western and eastern parts of the Southern Mountain of East Java. In the western part it is exposed in Wonosari (well-known as Gunung Sewu) and in the eastern part in Pacitan. One excellent exposure of this formation is found on the north cliff of G. Buwungan, Kebonagung, Pacitan, and is considered as an ideal outcrop to study the Wonosari Limestones in the eastern part. This outcrop offers a good chance in studying depositional environments and facies changes of the limestones. A detail stratigraphic section of physical and biological characteristics which was taken along the cliff and petrographic analysis suggest there are 6 facies types existed, they are (1) sandstone siltstone facies, (2) packstone - carboneus claystone facies, (3) grainstone - rudstone facies, (4) grainstone - framestone facies with rudstone intercalation, (5) grainstone floatstone facies and (6) layered algal bindstone facies. They indicate a depositional environment shifting from a lagoonal back-reef zone to reef-front and reef-flat have taken place. It suggests that a lateral depositional change from back-reef to reef-front within a vertical body of growth reef could be occurred in response to rising sea levels by prograding its growth geometry. This only could be happened when the rate of sea level rise was small and gave enough time for the reef to prograde into deeper water. In a short, it is called as a catch-up phase of reef growth. Keywords: Wonosari Formation, Punung, Reef Growth, Catch-up Phase Introduction The Middle to Upper Miocene Wonosari Formation covered the Southern Mountain in its western and eastern parts. In the western part it is well exposed in Wonosari area, and because of its karstic topography, well-known as Gunung Sewu. To the eastern end, this formation that also known as Punung Formation could be observed in Kebonagung area, Pacitan. In the western part, the Wonosari Formation mainly composed of reefal limestones, calcarenites and tuffaceous calcarenits (Kadar, 1974; in Rahardjo, 1995), where at the southern section this formation consists of bedded to poorly bedded limestones, rich in coral fragments and algae plus some corals in growth position (Anonym, 1986). This western Wonosari Formation was deposited in a shallow marine environment probably with some small patch reefs (Toha et al.,1994). However, in the eastern part, this formation was recognized to be shelfal carbonates with average thickness of 200-300 m that composed of reefal limestones, bioclastics, and marl (Sartono, 1964). Based on available literatures, number of papers with detail and in-depth study on the eastern Wonosari Formation is less that ones of the western Wonosari Formation. It was partly caused by some remoteness of excellent exposures of Wonosari Limestones on the eastern part. Considering those condition, authors are interested in studying one good outcrops of the eastern Wonosari Formation found at coordinate of S08o1046 and E111o0930,5 in the north cliff of G. Buwungan, Kebonagung, Pacitan (Fig. 1). This outcrop provides a complete vertical stratigraphic exposure and can be detailed into lithofasies analysis to determine depositional environments and dynamic sedimentation occurred during the rock formation. To determine facies characteristics, detail stratigraphic measurements were obtained in a 1:100 scale. Facies sequence was used to determine the depositional environment and the controlling sedimentation dynamic. Furthermore, all those facies, environment and sedimentary dynamics could be used to deduce the condition of paleomorphology during limestone deposition. The methods used in this study consist of two parts. The first is making stratigraphic columns that is measuraed from the outcrop and the second is laboratory observations of petrographic sample to determine the microfacies types. Field stratigraphic measurement includes of lithologic description, analysis of physical properties and observation of sedimentary structures. Petrographic observation in laboratory is conducted on a thin section samples to determine the composition of the constituent facies and lithologic type. Results Examination on the field stratigraphic measurements data and petrographic analysis indicate that there are six facies that formed in vertical sequence as follows:

Asian Trans-Disciplinary Karst Conference 2011, Yogyakarta-INDONESIA

1. Sandstone - siltstone facies (0-1.4 meters)

2. Packstone - carboneus claystone facies (1.4 2.8 meters)

3. Grainstone - rudstone facies (3.8 9 meters) 4. Grainstone - framestone facies with rudstone intercalation ( 9 31 meters)
5. 6. Grainstone floatstone facies (31 37.6 meters) Layered algal bindstone facies (37.6 75 meters) The first facies is sandstone - siltstone facies indicating the presence silisiclastic components originated from landward. This facies is present only as thick as 1.5 meters in a highly weathered condition of rocks, loose, and contain carbonaceous material in the rock composition. The second facies, packstone - carboneus claystone facies, has similar conditions to the lower facies, very weathered and difficult to determine distinct layer bedding in this 1.5 meters. Occasionally carbonaceous material were found to form lenses or continuous layers. Both facies are interpreted as deposited in a highly reductive environment as characterized by the intercalation of carbonaceous silts. Thus that those two facies are interpreted as products of back reef lagoon. The third facies is grainstone - rudstone facies with inverse gradation. This facies is composed of grainstone that getting larger and coarser upwards and turned into rudstone. Rudstone is mainly composed of reworked gastropod shells and peleciypods ranging in size from 1 to 10 mm. The presence of calcite crystal and carbonate mud make the interpretation on depositional environment of this facies is the back-reef. A thick grainstone - framestone facies with rudstone intercalation is present in the middle section. Grainstone - framestone existed with graded structure, whilst rudstone is inverted at the bottom. Framestone was grew from a collection of coral-shaped flat (platy coral) to form an encrusting layer, with a large size in between 10 cm to 30 cm. Coral growth was accompanied by the presence of lime-mud amongst them. Interpretation of depositional environment of this facies is assumed to be located in front of the reef body as the flat shape only grew below normal wave-base. The flat-shaped corals also suggested a small waves environment and its shallow depth in function to capture sunlight. The next facies grainstone - floatstone facies. In this facies, grainstone initially existed and then coarsened upward onto floatsone, which came with skeletal grains in the form of platy coral with varied size of 15-20 cm. The occurrence of coral nodules in this facies suggests strong and larger waves that disturbed the laminae. Thus it is assumed that this facies was almost or already lied above normal wave-base, shallower toward the sea surface in the reef front. The last facies and also the thickest one to be observed in the location is layered algal bindstone facies that showing agradational trend composed by interwoven braided algal in sizes of 10-15 cm, forming binding structures. This facies can be interpreted to be deposited above normal wave-base, with the presence of a strong sweep of waves, very close to sea level and located on the reef flat. All those vertical facies succession suggest an indication of depositional environment shifting, from the reductive lagoonal area in the back reef zone to the reef front and reef flat. This indicates that a reefal depositional change can be changed within a body of coral growth in response to rising sea levels (Fig. 2). Reef growth in the study area responded to the rising of sea level by prograding its growth geometry. The rate of sea level rise was slow enough for the reef to prograde into deeper water. It is called as a catch-up phase of reef growth. Figure 2 shows a schematic process of depositional change had been occurred in the study area that caused by sea level rise. In figure 2a early depositional environment was located in back-reef and sedimentation process influenced by terrigenous particle and local debris from reefs surrounded the lagoon. By the rising of sea level, reef growth trying to catch up and growth progradingly (Fig. 2b). The rising of sea level changes the geometry of basin and made a shifted depositional environment. Conclusion The facies sequence from measured stratigraphy and petrographic analysis show that there are 6 facies developed in the study area; they are sandstone - siltstone facies, packstone - carboneus claystone facies, grainstone - rudstone facies, grainstone - framestone facies with rudstone intercalation, grainstone floatstone facies and layered algal bindstone facies. Depositional environment of those facies had shifted from a restricted, reductive lagoonal environment in back reef became a reef front. The changes of depositional environment occurred as their response to the change of sea level, in a catch-up mode to produce a prograding built-up reef. References Anonym, 1986: Reef Facies Model of the Wonosari Limestone in Accordance with the Diagenetic Processes and Secondary Porosity, Wonosari Area, Yogyakarta, Research Report, Engineering Faculty, UGM, Yogyakarta, p. 1 10, 83 87.

Asian Trans-Disciplinary Karst Conference 2011, Yogyakarta-INDONESIA

Rahardjo, W., 1995: Wetenschappelijke Mededeelingen No. 9, In : Foraminifera Besar Tersier Indonesia, Jurusan Teknik Geologi, FT UGM, Yogyakarta, hal. 1 110. Sartono S., 1964: Stratigraphy and Sedimentation of the Eastern Most Part of Gunung Sewu (East Jawa), Publikasi Teknik Seri Geologi Umum, Bandung. Toha, B., Purtyasti, R. D., Sriyono, Soetoto,, Rahardjo, W., Pramumijoyo, S., 1994: Geologi Daerah Pegunungan Selatan, Suatu Kontribusi. dalam Prosiding : Geologi dan Geoteknik Pulau Jawa Sejak Akhir Mesozoik Hingga Kuarter, Jurusan Teknik Geologi. Fakultas Teknik, UGM, hal. 19-36.

Fig 1. Map of the study area

Asian Trans-Disciplinary Karst Conference 2011, Yogyakarta-INDONESIA

Fig 2. Schematic model of depositional changes in respect with sea level rise in the study area. Comment: 1. Please insert those images below the appropriate text