(Table 1) Distribution of foraminiferal tests in recent sediments of interior seas of Malay Archipelago

A study of benthic foraminifera in 21 samples of recent deep-sea sediments from the Sulawesi (Celebes), Molucca, and Banda Seas in the depth interval from 1780 to 7130 m has shown that their distribution and ratios of live specimens to empty tests differ at different depths. Perhaps it can be attributed to varying aggressiveness of waters at these depths with respect to calcium carbonate. The critical depths of CaCO3 dissolution, according to the study of foraminifera, are: <3000 m in the Sulawesi Sea, 3500-4000 m in the Banda Sea, and >5000 m in the Molucca Sea. Relative sedimentation rates, as established from ratios of living to dead tests, are highest in the western and eastern basins of the Molucca Sea, on the western slope of the Sulawesi Sea, and in some areas on the Banda Sea floor.