INTRODUCTION

The North Sumatra Project (NSP), undertaken during the period 1975-80, consisted of a
programme combining systematic reconnaissance geological mapping with reginal
geochemical prospecting, and formed part of the British Governments technical assistance
programme to developing countries. The Project covered Sumatra rorth of the Equator (ca.
190,000 km2), and the work was undertaken by a combined team of British geologists from
the Institute of Geological Sciences (IGS) and Overseas Development Administration, UK,
with counterparts from the Directorate of Mineral Resources (DMR), Indonesia. The prime
aim of the project was the production of 1:250,000 scale geological maps with.
accompanying reports, and complementary geochemical reports, with a view to evaluating
the mineral potential of northern Sumatra. Further details of the project were given by Page
et al (1978), including field logistics and details of a computerised field data recording
system. Cameron et al. (1980) gave a geological account of the whole project area.

The Banda Aceh Quadrangle was mapped and a geochemical stream-sediment sampling
programme undertaken during 1976 to 1977. All field data and samples are available for
inspection at DMR, Bandung. In addition to this report and the accompanying 1:250,000
geological sheet, two 1:100,000 geological maps (Banda Aceh C and D) and twelve
Geological Subarea Reports (with maps) covering the quadrangle were also prepared, but not
published. These are also stored in Bandung, and copies are available for inspection a IGS
Overseas Division, Mary Ward College, Keyworth, Nottingham, UK. Index map 2 on the
face of the 1:250,000 sheet shows the individual areas covered by these. 12

Unpublished Subarea .and Follow-up Reports will be referred to in this report by superscripts
10, F8, etc. the numbets being those in the project register (see Bibliography B). Published
and other references will be cited, however, in the normal author (date) manner, and listed in

Bibliography A .
Location and base-maps used

The Banda Aceh Quadrangle covers approximately 6,200 km2 of land area, bounded by sea
to the north and west, by latitude 5N to the south and by longitude 9615E to the east; it
forms the north-western tip of Sumatra. Fig. I shows the position of the quadrangle in relation
to the rest of Sumatra, and gives the locations of rivers, towns and other generalised localities
cited in this report. More specific localities are identified here by & or 8-figure UTM
(Universal Transverse Mercator) grid references, eg. (123 456), relative to the grid on the
1:250,000 sheet itself. Grid references in this quadrangle fall in zones 46N or 47N of the
UTM grid (see Fig. 1).. Localities cited, as, for example, Blangkejeren (Tapaktuan
Quadrangle) lie within one of the other 1:250,000 Quadrangles described in this series of
reports (see Index Map 1 on face of 1:250,000 sheet).