Seram Island

Seram (formerly spelled Ceram; also Seran or Serang) is the largest and main island of Maluku province of Indonesia, despite Ambon Island's historical importance. It is located just north of smaller Ambon Island.

Geography and geology

Seram is traversed by a central mountain range, the highest point of which, Mount Binaiya, is covered with dense rain forests. Its remarkably complex geology is due to its location at the meeting of several tectonic microplates, that has been described as "one of the most tectonically complex areas on Earth". Seram actually falls on its own microplate that has been twisted around by 80° in the last 8 million years by the relatively faster movement of the Papua microplate. Meanwhile, along with the northward push of the Australian Plate, this has resulted in the uplift that gives north-central Seram peaks of over 3000m. On the island are important karst areas. On the mountains near Sawai is the cave Hatu Saka. Currently the deepest cave of Indonesia (-388 meter). In Taniwell district, on the north coast, it is the underground river Sapalewa. One of the largest underground rivers of the planet.