Late Quaternary paleo fluvial system research of Sunda Shelf: A review

The paleo fluvial system is considered as an essential stratigraphic attribute for climate history in the shelfal region. Regressive and subsequent lowstand conditions allowed the formation of fluvial networks on the exposed shelf that dissects previous highstand deposits. This paper reviews the research work done concerning the paleo fluvial system on the Sunda Shelf during the late Quaternary since Molengraaff (1921) first introduced the idea of the existence of paleo rivers on the submerged shelf. It was found that in general, most research work was focused on describing channel morphology, evolution, stratigraphic sequences and sedimentary facies in relation to sea level changes. Work on reconstructing channel networks is limited to areas where seismic surveys were conducted for either mining or oil and gas exploration. To date, regional reconstruction is still based on modern sea floor bathymetry. This limitation is probably the reason why there are very few research works that relate paleo fluvial systems with climate change and paleo hydrology. The question concerning the forcing agent that caused variations in paleo fluvial patterns during late Pleistocene transgression is still open.