Timor-Leste, Geology.
The island of Timor sits at the eastern end of and just south of the archipelago of volcanic
islands, the Banda Arc, running eastwards from the Indonesian island of Bali. This volcanic
arc is the surface expression of lithospheric subduction currently taking place as the
Australian crustal plate moves north eastwards towards and underneath the Eurasian plate.
However, for the last 5 million years or so that subduction has become ‘locked’ in the Timor
region thereby causing the island of Timor to be thrust upwards as the only relief
mechanism available as the two crustal plates continue to converge. In layman’s language,
Timor is going up like a ‘Geological Cork’ at the extreme north eastern edge of continental
Australia