Sunda Shelf

For the biogeographic region, see Sundaland.
Map of Sahul and Sunda

Geologically, the Sunda Shelf (/ˈsʌndə/[1]) is a south-eastern extension of the continental shelf of Mainland Southeast Asia. Major landmasses on the shelf include Bali, Borneo, Java, Madura, and Sumatra, as well as their surrounding smaller islands.[2] It covers an area of approximately 1.85 million km2.[3] Sea depths over the shelf rarely exceed 50 metres and extensive areas are less than 20 metres resulting in strong bottom friction and strong tidal friction.[4] Steep undersea gradients separate the Sunda Shelf from the Philippines, Sulawesi, and the Lesser Sunda Islands (not including Bali).

  1. ^ https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/sunda-islands
  2. ^ Zvi Ben-Avraham, "Structural framework of the Sunda Shelf and vicinity" Structural Geology (January 1973) abstract; Monk, K.A.; Fretes, Y.; Reksodiharjo-Lilley, G. (1996). The Ecology of Nusa Tenggara and Maluku. Hong Kong: Periplus Editions Ltd. p. 10. ISBN 962-593-076-0.
  3. ^ va Bemmelen, R.W. (1949). The Geology of Indonesia. Vol. IA: General Geology of Indonesia and Adjacent Archipelagoes. Matinus Nithoff, The Hague, 723 pp.
  4. ^ Tomascik, T; Mah, J.A.; Nontji, A.; Moosa, M.K. (1996). The Ecology of the Indonesian Seas – Part One. Hong Kong: Periplus Editions Ltd. p. 74. ISBN 962-593-078-7.