The Celebes Sea is a piece of an ancientocean basin that formed 42 million years ago in a locale removed from any landmass. By 20 million years ago, the earth's crust movement had moved the basin close enough to theIndonesian andPhilippinevolcanoes to receive emitted debris.[3] By 10 million years ago the Celebes Sea was inundated with continental debris, includingcoal, which was shed from a growing young mountain on Borneo and the basin had docked against Eurasia.
On 23 May 2013, the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Government of the Republic of Indonesia signed an agreement to establish the boundary line that delimits the overlapping Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) between the two countries. It has been agreed that north of the boundary line will be under the jurisdiction of the Philippines (namedMindanao Sea) and Indonesia be south of the boundary line (namedCelebes Sea).[4][5][6]
Squid of the genusEnoploteuthis from the Celebes Sea
The Celebes Sea is home to a wide variety of fish and aquatic creatures. The tropical setting and warm clear waters permit it to harbor about 580 of the world's 793 species of reef-buildingcorals, which grow as some of the most bio-diverse coral reefs in the world, and an impressive array ofmarine life, includingwhales anddolphins,sea turtles,manta rays,eagle rays,barracuda,marlin and other reef andpelagic species.Tuna andyellowfin tuna are also abundant. In addition to the high abundance of fish caught in the Celebes Sea, this sea also yields other aquatic products like sea tang.
The Celebes Sea is underlain by an oceanic plate with a mid-oceanic spreading in the center part. This plate is subducted to the south and north. Several seismic surveys and research drillings were done in this area to gather geological information.
