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Minerals
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Geosciences in the Banda Arc Region: Resources, Hazards and Sustainable...
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Geosciences in the Banda Arc Region: Resources, Hazards and Sustainable Development

A special issue of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 October 2026 | Viewed by 1831

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Marina Cabral Pinto

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. GeoBioTec Center, Department of Geosciences, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
2. Unit of Mineral and Geothermal Resources Prospecting, IGTL-Instituto de Geociências de Timor-Leste, Dili, Timor-Leste
Interests: environmental geochemistry; international geochemical mapping; geochemistry of minerals; U-bearing minerals; petrography; petrology; heavy metals; risk assessment; soils; stream sediments; water; medical geology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Ron Alan Harris

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Department of Geological Sciences, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA
2. Unit of Geological Mapping, IGTL-Instituto de Geociências de Timor-Leste, Dili, Timor-Leste
Interests: tectonic processes; natural disaster prevention
Dr. João Pratas

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Center of Geosciences, University of Coimbra, 3004-531 Coimbra, Portugal
2. Unit of Geological Mapping and Mineral Resources, IGTL-Instituto de Geociências de Timor-Leste, Dili, Timor-Leste
Interests: biogeochemical prospecting; phytoremediation; bioaccumulation
Dr. Fernando Carlos Lopes

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. CITEUC Center, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Coimbra, 3004-531 Coimbra, Portugal
2. Unit of Geological Mapping, IGTL-Instituto de Geociências de Timor-Leste, Dili, Timor-Leste
Interests: tectonics; stratigraphy; structural geology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue of Minerals explores the mineralogical, geological, geochemical, geophysical, and environmental dimensions of the Banda Arc system and surrounding regions across Asia. The Banda Arc represents one of the most complex tectonic systems globally, involving arc–continent collisions between the Australian Plate, the Banda Slab, and several microplates. To broaden the scope of research, this Special Issue welcomes contributions that address the entire tectonic realm of the Asian region, including the northern Banda Sea area (e.g., Irian Jaya, Seram, Sulawesi), as well as southeastern and southern zones (e.g., Timor-Leste and Eastern Indonesia).

This dynamic setting hosts a diverse array of ore-forming systems and mineral deposits—hydrothermal, magmatic, and metamorphic—that are deeply interwoven with its tectonic and magmatic evolution. It also encompasses sedimentary basins with the potential for petroleum. However, the region faces severe geological risks such as frequent seismicity, volcanic activity, and landslides, which threaten infrastructure and populations while complicating the sustainable exploitation of resources. Sedimentary archives provide valuable insights into landscape changes and hazard-related processes across the Asian tectonic framework.

Dr. Marina Cabral Pinto
Prof. Dr. Ron Alan Harris
Dr. João Pratas
Dr. Fernando Carlos Lopes
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Minerals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Banda Arc
  • Asia
  • Irian Jaya
  • Seram
  • Sulawesi
  • Timor-Leste
  • tectonics
  • volcanism
  • mineral resources
  • hydrogeology
  • petroleum geology
  • environmental geochemistry
  • GIS
  • geodiversity
  • sustainable development

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

24 pages, 57665 KB  
Article
Geochemical Framework of Ataúro Island (Timor-Leste) in an Arc–Continent Collision Setting
by Job Brites dos Santos, Marina Cabral Pinto, Victor A. S. Vicente, André Ram Soares and João A. M. S. Pratas
Minerals 2026, 16(1), 89; https://doi.org/10.3390/min16010089 - 17 Jan 2026
Viewed by 714
Abstract
Ataúro Island, located in the inner Banda Arc, provides a natural laboratory to investigate the interplay between magmatic evolution, hydrothermal circulation, and near-surface weathering in an active arc–continent collision setting. This study presents the first systematic island-wide geochemical baseline for Ataúro Island, based [...] Read more.
Ataúro Island, located in the inner Banda Arc, provides a natural laboratory to investigate the interplay between magmatic evolution, hydrothermal circulation, and near-surface weathering in an active arc–continent collision setting. This study presents the first systematic island-wide geochemical baseline for Ataúro Island, based on multi-element analyses of stream sediments integrated with updated geological, structural, and hydromorphological information. Compositional Data Analysis (CoDA–CLR–PCA), combined with anomaly mapping and spatial overlays, defines a coherent three-tier geochemical framework comprising: (i) a lithogenic component dominated by Fe–Ti–Mg–Ni–Co–Cr, reflecting the geochemical signature of basaltic to andesitic volcanic rocks; (ii) a hydrothermal component characterized by Ag–As–Sb–S–Au associations spatially linked to structurally controlled zones; and (iii) an oxidative–supergene component marked by Fe–V–Zn redistribution along drainage convergence areas. These domains are defined strictly on geochemical criteria and represent geochemical process domains rather than proven metallogenic provinces. Rare earth element (REE) systematics further constrain the geotectonic setting and indicate that the primary geochemical patterns are largely controlled by lithological and magmatic differentiation processes. Spatial integration of geochemical patterns with fault architecture highlights the importance of NW–SE and NE–SW structural corridors in focusing hydrothermal fluid circulation and associated metal dispersion. The identified Ag–As–Sb–Au associations are interpreted as epithermal-style hydrothermal geochemical enrichment and exploration-relevant geochemical footprints, rather than as evidence of confirmed or economic mineralization. Overall, Ataúro Island emerges as a compact natural analogue of post-arc geochemical system evolution in the eastern Banda Arc, where lithogenic background, hydrothermal fluid–rock interaction, and early supergene processes are superimposed. The integrated geochemical framework presented here provides a robust baseline for future targeted investigations aimed at distinguishing lithogenic from hydrothermal contributions and evaluating the potential significance of the identified geochemical enrichments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geosciences in the Banda Arc Region: Resources, Hazards and Sustainable Development)
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