Knowra Molucca Sea Molucca Sea The Molucca Sea is a sea in the western Pacific, bordered by Sulawesi, Halmahera, and the Sula Islands. It lies within a tectonically complex region of Indonesia.
Sulawesi : An Indonesian island between Borneo and the Maluku Islands, with a distinctive branching shape. Its eastern coast forms part of the Molucca Sea’s western boundary.
Molucca Sea Plate : A small tectonic plate beneath the Molucca Sea, consumed by subduction on both its western and eastern sides. Its unusual double-sided subduction defines the sea’s tectonic setting.
North Maluku : An Indonesian province comprising the northern Maluku Islands, including Halmahera and Ternate. Its islands border and rely on waters of the Molucca Sea.
Spice Islands : The Maluku Islands, historically prized for producing cloves, nutmeg, and mace. The sea borders islands central to the historical spice trade.
Halmahera : An Indonesian island in the North Maluku province, east of the Molucca Sea. Its western coast bounds the sea on the east.
Molucca Sea Collision Zone : A region where opposing island arcs converge as the Molucca Sea Plate is consumed. It is the active collision system beneath and around the sea.
Ternate : A volcanic island and city in North Maluku, Indonesia, west of Halmahera. Its port and communities face the Molucca Sea.
Clove trade : The long-distance commerce in cloves, a spice native to the Maluku Islands. European competition for cloves drew ships into the surrounding seas.
Sula Islands : An Indonesian island group between Sulawesi and the central Maluku Islands. The group helps define the sea’s southwestern margin.
Sangihe Trench : A deep ocean trench west of the Sangihe volcanic arc in Indonesia. It marks the western subduction boundary of the Molucca Sea Plate.
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