Origin of the East Sulawesi Ophiolite, Eastern Indonesia: implications for oceanic crust generation and tectonic reconstruction in the Western Pacific

The PhD thesis explores the origin of the East Sulawesi Ophiolite in Sulawesi, Indonesia. Ophiolites, rock remnants of oceanic lithosphere thrust onto land, offers insights into past tectonic events. I measured chemical and isotope compositions of rocks and minerals, suggesting that the magma originated from a mantle source modified by subduction. Zircon U-Pb dating reveals the existence of ancient exotic continental zircons in young oceanic rocks, sourced from subducted sediments from the Australian continental margin, indicating its past location close to the margin. Apatite chemical compositions record the effect of pre-existing zircons and the dynamic zircon-apatite competition process during crystallization.