Causes and consequences of Oligocene-Miocene relative sea level change in Asia: An example from the Labuan Island (Sabah), Malaysia

Labuan Island represents the emergent part of a north-eastward plunging anticline. The stratigraphic succession at Labuan is made up of four formations: the Crocker Formation, the Temburong Formation, the Setap shale Formation and the Belait Formation. The sedimentological aspects of the Labuan stratigraphic succession have been studied by several authors but the stratigraphic relationships between the formations is still a matter of conjecture. In this paper we have undertaken an outcrop based (1) sedimentary facies analysis of the Middle Miocene Belait Formation and (2) inferred the mode of stratigraphic sequence building of the Oligocene-Miocene successions. In significant contrast to the tide-storm interactive shallow-marine Belait Formation of Brunei and Sarawak, the Belait Formation of the Labuan island is made up of a lower fluvial and an upper shallow marginal marine to shelf facies association. The sedimentary succession from the Crocker, Temburong, Setap Shale and Belait formations represents a marine regression either due to a relative sea-level fall (forced regression) or to sediment supply exceeding the rate of sea-level rise (normal regression). The similar to 17 million years unconformity separating the fluvial facies association of the Miocene Belait Formation from the underlying shelfal sedimentary units (Oligocene Temburang and/or Setap shale formations) is a subaerial unconformity that is a consequence of rapid uplift and associated forced regression, and thus indicates the influence of regional tectonics on the mode of stratigraphic sequence building The change in paleocurrent pattern recorded by earlier researchers across the Oligocene-Miocene boundary also indicates tectonic tilt, and a change in sediment dispersal direction because of upliftment. The upper marginal marine facies association of the Belait Formation indicates transgression and the thick shelfal mudstone unit that overlies the marginal marine deposit indicates subsequent maximum flooding. Our sedimentological and stratigraphic analyses reveal that the shift in depositional environment during the Oligocene-Miocene transition is linked to regional tectonics and consequent sea level change and unrelated to paleoclimatic shift.

Automated summary

Labuan Island represents the emergent part of a north-eastward plunging anticline, with a stratigraphic succession consisting of four formations. The Belait Formation on the island shows a shift in depositional environment during the Oligocene-Miocene transition, influenced by regional tectonics and sea level changes, rather than paleoclimatic shifts. The unconformity and paleocurrent pattern changes across the Oligocene-Miocene boundary suggest rapid uplift and forced regressions in the geological history of the island.