Lusi Mud Eruption Research Articles

Multi-GPU based 3D numerical modeling of fluid migration and clay dehydration influence on Lusi hydrothermal activity (Java, Indonesia)

The Lusi mud eruption in East Java has been active since May 2006. Magma emplacement at depth, clay dehydration, and mud liquefaction during seismic wave propagation have been invoked as mechanisms fueling this eruption. However, the respective roles of these processes are still poorly constrained. In this focused study, we numerically investigate the influence of clay dehydration, mass and heat transport on fluid outflow at the Lusi site using a fully coupled 3D model for this active system. Using a multi-GPU parallel processing algorithm, we propose an estimate of the 3D time evolution of pressure, temperature, porosity, permeability and water liberation in a large-scale (9 km - 14 km - 5.5 km) deep hydrothermal system at high-resolution. Simulations indicate that high-pressure fluids generated by dehydration reactions are sufficient to induce hydro-fractures that would significantly influence the porosity and permeability structures. Dehydration is an essential component for understanding the Lusi system, because the fluids generated contribute to the outflow and may have a considerable impact for the maintenance of the infrastructure required to keep the Lusi site safe. High-Performance Computing (HPC) offers high-resolution simulations for studying time evolution of such natural systems, and potentially for geothermal resource development for the surrounding population.

The deep subsurface structure beneath Lusi and the adjacent volcanic chain inferred from local travel-time tomography

Since 2006, the Lusi mud eruption is ongoing in the northeast of Java Island, Indonesia. We perform a 3D seismic tomography of the area surrounding Lusi and the adjacent Arjuno-Welirang volcanic complex using P-wave arrivals of 797 local earthquakes recorded on 31 seismic stations for two years between 2015 and 2016. Resolution tests show that we can reasonably well constrain the subsurface velocity structure beneath Lusi down to a depth of 20 km. The results of our tomography reveal that Lusi has a shallow plumbing system that is interconnected with the neighboring Penanggungan volcano. Their joint system reaches down to a depth of 20 km. The Arjuno-Welirang volcanic complex has its own deep-rooted plumbing system that might be connected to Penanggungan volcano and Lusi along the Watukosek Fault zone. The connection of Lusi with this large reservoir volume elucidates the longevity of the Lusi eruption.

Deep hydrothermal activity driving the Lusi mud eruption

The Lusi mud eruption in East Java continues unabated after more than a decade of activity as a pulsating geyser system bursting mud, clasts, water, and gas. The origin of the fluids and their properties at depth are not well constrained, thus hampering our understanding and modelling of the system. Previous geochemical and geophysical studies show that Lusi is a sediment-hosted hydrothermal system with two sources of mud at depths between 0.3–2 km and another between 3.5–4.75 km. Here, we present results of mineral thermometry using Raman spectroscopy and chlorite composition on clasts erupted at Lusi. The results show that some of these specimens originate from the two main fluid sources, and at depths consistent with the geochemical and geophysical interpretation. Two main clast lithotypes erupt at Lusi. The first lithotype is a light grey shale returned to the surface from the Upper Kalibeng Formation (the primary mud source) and equilibrated at temperatures below 200 °C. The second lithotype is a black shale, whose source is the Ngimbang Formation at >3800 m depth. Two distinct temperature clusters are recorded in these black shales: one at 179±17 °C, consistent with the temperature estimate at 3800 m depth with the pre-eruption geothermal gradient, while younger minerals in the same specimen recorded substantial anomalous heating at ∼250 °C. These high temperatures indicate interaction with a heat source associated with the eruption through mixing with hydrothermal fluids. This temperature jump suggests rapid heating at ∼4000 m depth, consistent with a scenario of a magmatic intrusion and hydrothermal fluids circulation. This rapid and significant temperature increase would initiate devolatilisation reactions of hydrous minerals within the deep sedimentary package and generate substantial (highly overpressured) fluids at depths significantly below the main source of erupted mud. We infer that reactive and thermal pressurisation led to a deep and metastable system susceptible to e.g. seismic activity ultimately opening fluid pathways towards the surface along the Watukosek fault system. The two temperatures clusters recorded in the clasts show that conductive heat flow was the dominant heat transport prior to the eruption, while the system is now driven by large-scale convection and advective heat transport. The Lusi eruption occurred in a highly populated area forcing the evacuation of several tens of thousands of people. This system appears unstoppable and poses a real and present hazard for the settlements still surrounding the eruption site. Continuous research is necessary to understand this spectacular phenomenon, both for its important scientific relevance, and the societal impact of this natural disaster.

An alternative review of facts, coincidences and past and future studies of the Lusi eruption

Abstract The cause of the Lusi mud eruption remains controversial. The review by Miller and Mazzini (2017) firmly dismisses a role of drilling operations at the adjacent Banjarpanji-1 well and argues that the eruption was triggered by the M6.3 Yogyakarta earthquake some 254 km away. We disagree with these conclusions. We review drilling data and the daily drilling reports, which clearly confirm that the wellbore was not intact and that there was a subsurface blowout. Downhole pressure data from Lusi directly witness the birth of Lusi at the surface on the 29th of May 2006, indicating a direct connection between the well and the eruption. Furthermore, the daily drilling reports specifically state that Lusi activity was visibly altered on three separate occasions by attempts to kill the eruption by pumping dense fluid down the BJP-1 well, providing further evidence of a connection between the wellbore and Lusi. By comparison with other examples of newly initiated mud eruptions elsewhere by other earthquakes, the Yogyakarta earthquake was far away given its magnitude. The seismic energy density of the Yogyakarta earthquake was only 0.0043 J/m3, which is less than a quarter of the minimum 0.019 J/m3 seismic energy density that has ever been inferred to trigger other mud eruptions. We show that the Lusi area had previously experienced other shallow earthquakes with similar frequencies and stronger ground shaking that did not trigger an eruption. Finally, the data from the BJP-1 well indicates that there was no prior hydrodynamic connection between deep overpressured hydrothermal fluids and the shallow Kalibeng clays, and that there was no evidence of any liquefaction or remobilization of the Kalibeng clays induced by the earthquake. We thus strongly favor initiation by drilling and not an earthquake.

Drone high resolution infrared imaging of the Lusi mud eruption

The use of low-cost hand-held infrared (IR) thermal cameras based on uncooled micro-bolometer detector arrays became more widespread during the recent years. Thermal cameras have the ability to estimate temperature values without contact and therefore can be used in conditions where targets are difficult or dangerous to reach such as volcanic eruptions. Since May 2006 the Indonesian Lusi mud eruption continues to spew boiling mud, water, aqueous vapour, CO2, CH4 and covers a surface of nearly 7 km2. Here we performed surveys above and around the erupting crater using a specifically equipped remote-controlled aerial vehicle (drone). Despite the harsh logistics and the continuously varying gas concentrations, we managed to collect IR images composing mosaics to estimate the crater zone spatial and temporal thermal variations as well as that in the surrounding regions. In this manuscript we provide a) a description of the main processes that affect and control the acquisition of IR images; b) an overview of still non disclosed physical model used by the thermal camera employed during our survey (i.e. Flir I7 IR); c) a method for capturing high resolution infrared images over an erupting clastic system; d) analysis and interpretation of the acquired data and scientific results. The results show that it is possible to obtain good quality mosaics also in inaccessible areas such as erupting craters where fixed reference points are not constant, and where the presence of IR attenuation factors introduce errors in terms of temperature estimates. However the IR camera radiative transfer model (based on Lowtran model) allows the control of only some of the parameters that affect the attenuation of the IR spectrum. This results in obtained crater temperature estimates up to ∼20% lower than those measured with hand held thermometers, providing, however, very important information about the thermal gradient and the potential radioactive absorption factors. The imaged Lusi vent thermal pattern suggests the presence of shallow convective chambers inside the caldera zone; these are activated by the rise of boiling mud breccia that suddenly cools and sinks. The thermal survey conducted on the dry mud region to the NE of the crater reveals temperatures matching with those measured directly on the field with a hand held thermometer. Here the presence of hot spot anomalies and colder circular features is consistent with the migration of deeper warm fluids along a faulted and fractured area and with widespread pools distribution.

Radon and carbon gas anomalies along the Watukosek Fault System and Lusi mud eruption, Indonesia

An extensive survey was carried out in the Sidoarjo district (East Java, Indonesia) to investigate the gas leaking properties along fractured zones coinciding with a strike-slip system, the Watukosek Fault System (WFS) in NE Java. This structure has been the focus of attention since the beginning of the spectacular Lusi mud eruption on the 29th May 2006. The sinistral strike-slip WFS originates from the Arjuno-Welirang volcanic complex, intersects the active Lusi eruption site displaying a system of antithetic faults, and extends towards the NE of Java where mud volcanic structures reside.In the Lusi region we completed a geochemical survey along three profiles combining measurements of a) 220Rn and 222Rn activity, b) CO2 and CH4 soil gas content, c) CO2 and CH4 fluxes, and d) gas analyses. The profiles are up to ∼1.2 km long and intersect perpendicularly areas with intense fracturing and surface deformation along the WFS. The purpose was to investigate the presence and origin of soil degassing activity in potentially active fault zones.Results show that the peripheral sectors of the profiles have high 220Rn activity and reduced CO2 and CH4 fluxes and concentrations. This suggests low fluids migration that could be affected by shallow circulation. In contrast, the segments of profiles intersecting the fractured zones have the highest 222Rn activity, CO2 and CH4 flux and gas concentration values.The relationship existing among the measured parameters suggests that the WFS acts as a preferential pathway for active rise of deep fluids. The presence of such advective processes is suggested by the relatively high rate of migration needed to obtain anomalies of short-lived 222Rn in the soil pores. Gas molecular and isotopic composition reveals that all sampled localities have a mixed hydrocarbon origin implying the presence of shallow microbial and deeper thermogenic hydrocarbons. CO2 isotopic values (δ13C-CO2 ranges between −9.48‰ and 4.12‰ V-PDB) indicate the presence of mantle derived CO2 and thermo-metamorphic CO2 suggesting that elevated temperatures have a key role in this active system. The samples collected from fractured and faulted zones reveal to have gas composition similar to that obtained from Lusi crater, indicating deep origin fluids.

Genesis and evolution of the Watukosek fault system in the Lusi area (East Java)

Detailed analysis of two-dimensional seismic lines acquired in the NE Java basin has been performed to unravel the subsurface geology of the region around the Lusi mud eruption. This work revealed the existence of a system consisting of a complex set of faults, here called the Watukosek fault system, forming triangular deformation zones converging at the top of the early Miocene Carbonates. This system continues downwards with vertical individual fault segments, often bordering the steep margins of the carbonate platforms. The analysis of data includes the interpretation of seismic lines, regional structural data inferred from basement gravity maps and present-day main direction of stress. Results suggest that a possible rotation of stress direction from N40E-S40W to N-S occurred during the post-Miocene history of the Java back arc tectonic evolution. The Watukosek fault system was first generated as a tensional lineament during the E-W sinistral transpressive strain, which involved the basement. In this phase, synthetic and antithetic Riedel faults formed, the former controlling the NW-SE orientation of the structural highs represented by Oligo-Miocene carbonate platforms. As a consequence of the rotation of the main principal stress direction to a N-S direction, the Watukosek fault and similar parallel lineaments became sinistral Riedel shears, developing intense triangular deformation zones. Based on the stratigraphic position of gentle anticlinal deformations with axis corresponding to the N40E-S40W oriented triangular deformation zones, the transpressive strain linked to the N-S main stress compression occurred likely in the Late Pliocene-Early Pleistocene.The detailed examination of a) stratigraphy at the wells BJP-1 and Porong-1 as well as b) the seismo-stratigraphic architecture of the entire succession in the study area, allowed a new subsurface interpretation and revision of the stratigraphic units below Lusi. The thick Early Miocene Tuban Formation is found sandwiched between the coheval Upper Kalibeng Formation and the Early Miocene Carbonate of the Kujung Formation, which in turn overlain the older Ngimbang Formation.

Numerical modeling of the Lusi hydrothermal system: Initial results and future challenges

The Lusi mud eruption in East Java, Indonesia, is an active clastic-dominated geyser and a sedimentary hosted hydrothermal system that has generated wide interest across many disciplines. This moderate-to-high enthalpy system is driven by multiphase and multicomponent processes, fluid and rock mechanics, and heat transport processes, all which present challenges in developing realistic numerical models of the underlying physics. We develop a hydrogeological conceptual model for this deep and complex hydrothermal system, and construct an appropriate 3D geological model using the available data. This geological model then serves as the basis for numerically simulations that include some of the dominant processes driving Lusi. We adopt a flexible continuum approach with an efficient numerical simulator based on the 3D geological model representing the deep structures of this hydrothermal system and geothermal reservoir by incorporating borehole information and seismic data obtained in the framework of the LUSI Lab project. The geological model is transformed into a computational grid using binary space partitioning (BSP) of the input geometry and octree refinement on the grid to perform multi-physics simulations. Thermodynamic calculations using the equation of state for a CO2-bearing aqueous NaCl solution suggest that Lusi is a two-phase flow system (Water/CO2). Finally, we present initial results from a simple hydro-mechanical multiphase numerical model that simulates processes that likely contributed to the initiation of Lusi.

Modelling fluid flow in clastic eruptions: Application to the Lusi mud eruption

Clastic eruptions involve the rapid ascension of sedimentary clasts together with fluids, gas and/or liquid phases that may further deform and brecciate the host rocks. These fluids transport the resulting mixture, called mud breccia, to the surface. Such eruptions are often associated with geological structures such as mud volcanoes, hydrothermal vent complexes and, more generally, piercement structures. They involve various processes, acting over a wide range of scales, which makes them a complex and challenging multi-phase system to model. Although piercement structures have been widely studied and discussed, only a few attempts have been made to model the dynamics of such clastic eruptions. The ongoing Lusi mud eruption, in the East Java back-arc basin, which began in May 2006, is a spectacular large scale clastic eruption. The Lusi eruptive behaviour has been extensively studied over the past decade and thus represents a unique opportunity to better understand ongoing clastic eruptions and thus fossil clastic systems. We use both analytical formulations and numerical models to investigate simple relationships between the mud breccia properties (density, viscosity, gas and clast content) and the volumetric flow rate. Our results show that the conduit radius of such piercement systems cannot exceed a few metres at depth, and that clasts, if not densely packed, will not affect the flow rate when they are smaller than a fifth of the conduit size. Using published data for the annual gas fluxes at Lusi, we infer a maximal depth at which exsolution starts. This occurs between 1800 m and 3200 m depth for methane and between 750 m and 1000 m for carbon dioxide. Based on annual gas fluxes, we estimate that the conduit radius should be no larger than 1.5 m to match the maximal mud discharge, recorded at Lusi.

The Lusi drone: A multidisciplinary tool to access extreme environments

Extreme and inaccessible environments are a new frontier that unmanned and remotely operated vehicles can today safely access and monitor. The Lusi mud eruption (NE Java Island, Indonesia) represents one of these harsh environments that are totally unreachable with traditional techniques. Here boiling mud is constantly spewed tens of meters in height and tall gas clouds surround the 100 m wide active crater. The crater is surrounded by a ∼600 m diameter circular zone of hot mud that prevents any approach to investigate and sample the eruption site. In order to access this active crater we designed and assembled a multipurpose drone.The Lusi drone is equipped with numerous airborne devices suitable for use on board of other multicopters. During the missions, three cameras can complete 1) video survey, 2) high resolution photogrammetry of desired and preselected polygons, and 3) thermal photogrammetry surveys with infra-red camera to locate hot fluids seepage areas or faulted zones. Crater sampling and monitoring operations can be pre-planned with a flight software, and the pilot is required only for take-off and landing. A winch allows the deployment of gas, mud and water samplers and contact thermometers to be operated with no risk for the aircraft. During the winch operations (that can be performed automatically), the aircraft hovers at a safety height until the tasks controlled by the winch-embedded processor are completed. The drone is also equipped with GPS-connected CO2 and CH4 sensors. Gridded surveys using these devices allowed obtaining 2D maps of the concentration and distribution of various gasses over the area covered by the flight path.The device is solid, stable even with significant wind, affordable, and easy to transport. The Lusi drone successfully operated during several expeditions at the ongoing active Lusi eruption site and proved to be an excellent tool to study other harsh or unreachable sites, where operations with more conventional methods are too expensive, dangerous or simply impossible.

Modelling of gas generation following emplacement of an igneous sill below Lusi, East Java, Indonesia

The Lusi mud eruption started in 2006 and is located near the Arjuno-Welirang volcanic complex in Northeastern Java. Lusi is characterized by the eruption of aqueous vapor, CO2, and CH4 in addition to mud breccia and boiling water. However, the ultimate driving force for the eruption remains unclear. Here we investigate if Lusi could have been driven by the heat released from a deep-seated igneous sill originating from the neighboring volcanic arc. We have used a 1D thermal model to calculate the production of CO2 from thermally matured organic matter in the contact aureole of a hypothetical 150 m thick sill. The sill is tentatively emplaced at 1100 °C at 4.5 km depth within the organic-rich Eocene Ngimbang Formation. The carbon gas produced from the thermal perturbation reaches a peak of 1357 kg/m2/y CO2 equivalents shortly after sill emplacement, stressing the efficiency of organic matter transformation in contact aureoles. Our simulations show that during the first 1000 years after emplacement, 53.5 ton CO2/m2 is produced in the contact aureole. When scaled to a sill size of 150 m × 25 km2, i.e., a sill volume of 3.75 km3, the aureole has the potential to generate a total of 1350 Mt CO2 during the first 1000 years, with a peak generation of about 34 Mt CO2/y. We conclude that contact metamorphism in our hypothetical geological scenario generates CO2 in the gigaton range and represents a plausible source for the Lusi gas.

Constraints on density changes in the funnel-shaped caldera inferred from gravity monitoring of the Lusi mud eruption

From its inception May 29, 2006, the Lusi mud eruption has continuously erupted fluids, boiling mud and clasts through large active vents approximately 100 m in diameter. In 2016, we conducted a Dynamic Gravity survey (DG) using a network built over four locations and two Continuous Gravity-monitoring (CG) experiments to monitor the eruption activity. The CG was done for 8 days from June 2nd to June 10th, and for 9 days from August 20th to August 29th, 2016. Atmospheric pressure and atmospheric temperature variations were recorded during each experiment to constrain potential environmental effects, and Earth and oceanic tide effects were removed from gravity signals (CG and DG). Atmospheric pressure effects were removed from CG gravity signals. At the station, closest to the hydrothermal pond, the DG survey results show a gravity increase of ∼0.009 mGal month−1, which we interpret as the growth of the mud edifice in the central area. CG-monitoring shows that gravity variations occur at a period of 12–13 h, with amplitudes reaching up to 0.020 mGal. We interpret this as relating to density variation of the rising mud mixture (fluids + coarse mud + clasts). The observed 12–13 h period variations appear to indicate that tides may have some control on the density change of rising mud mixture by triggering the release of gas trapped at depth. Our 3D gravity results around the Lusi vents show that density variations range from 100 kg m−3 to 775 kg m−3. Similarly, vent diameters better constrain density contrasts occurring within the caldera zone, which is more likely to range between 400 and 450 kg m−3, and is equivalent respectively to 27% and 31% of gas ratio change over time.

Lusi hydrothermal structure inferred through ambient vibration measurements

The spectacular Lusi mud eruption started in northeast Java, Indonesia, the 29th of May 2006 following a M6.3 strike slip seismic event. After the earthquake several mud pools aligned along a NE-SW direction appeared in the Sidoarjo district. The most prominent eruption site was named Lusi. Lusi is located ∼10 km to the NE of the northernmost cone of the Arjuno-Welirang volcanic complex with which it is connected by the Watukosek Fault System. In this study, we applied the HVSR method, which is a common tool used for site effect investigations as well as to infer buried structures and reconstruct sub-surface geology. The method is based on the ratio of the horizontal to vertical components of ground motion and it generally exhibits a peak corresponding to the fundamental frequency of the site. Spectral ratio results highlight a fundamental frequency band between 0.4 and 1.0 Hz in the Lusi neighborhood. We interpret these peaks as related to the velocity lithological contrast at depth between alluvial deposits and bluish grey clay. Our analysis also highlights the presence of a “depocenter”, characterized by fundamental frequency up to 0.3 Hz, which is interpreted as the subsidence caused by withdrawal of mud and fluids from depth (as also shown by the comparison of the HVSR results with gravimetry data). Moreover, in the area of the Lusi vent a broad-band frequency range is related to the Lusi conduit. In this paper, we show that detailed microtremor surveys could be used as a preliminary and fast approach to locate mud conduits with sufficient precision.

The geochemistry and origin of the hydrothermal water erupted at Lusi, Indonesia

The spectacular Lusi mud-eruption started in northeast Java the 29th of May 2006. Despite extensive research, the origin of the erupted water remains elusive and poorly constrained. Here we present a comprehensive study of the geochemistry of Lusi waters compared with those collected from surrounding areas, all collected between 2006 and 2013, including data from mud volcanoes and volcano-hosted hydrothermal springs. Within this broad context, the geochemical characteristics of the fluids expelled in the Lusi region suggest that we can classify the waters in three groups: 1) meteoric waters expelled in cold springs and artesian wells, 2) hydrothermal waters typically mixed with meteoric waters, and 3) formation water from marine sediments altered by diagenetic processes such as clay-mineral dehydration. Samples collected from the Lusi crater are Cl and Na dominated (up to 527 mM and 471.7 mM, respectively) similar to seawater indicating that altered sedimentary formation waters are predominant in this system. In addition they are enriched in Sr (up to 808.4 μM) and other elements commonly associated with hydrothermal systems, such as Li (up to 877.6 μM compared to 26 μM in seawater). Some of these elements are up to ten times enriched compared to seawater values. High-temperature fluid mineral interactions in the subsurface appear to have facilitated the transfer of Li and other mobile elements into the fluids. High temperature fluid-mineral interaction reactions are also supported by Si concentrations significantly higher compared to other sampled mud volcanoes in the island. Crater samples also show the highest δ18O values (+5‰ after correction for evaporation compared to +1‰ at the MV localities). 87Sr/86Sr ratios vary between of 0.7077 and 0.7083 and seem to reflect a general mixture of fluids from clay-mineral dehydration, carbonate recrystallization, alteration of volcanic rocks and hydrothermal imprint. Eight years of geochemical monitoring indicate that the composition of the deep-sourced Lusi fluids remain fairly constant through time. Thus our findings show that the Lusi crater waters represent a regional geochemical anomaly, and we suggest that a combination of high temperatures in the source region, and fluid-rock interactions with silicates and, possibly, carbonate-rich lithologies can explain the data. This is consistent with a model where the emitted gases migrate from a deep-seated (>4 km) source region, likely associated with the presence of hot igneous intrusions and/or high T reactions related to the presence of neighbouring active volcanoes.

Insights on the structure of Lusi mud edifice from land gravity data

Since May 2006, the active Lusi mud eruption has continuously erupted boiling mud. During the early stages of the eruption in 2006, previous gravity studies showed that the piling up of the mud constructed a large edifice that subsides within the unconsolidated sediment especially around a large area over the active crater. After ten years of continuous eruption, the size of the edifice has grown significantly over a surface framed by 10 m tall containment embankments. In 2015 and 2016, several land gravity surveys were carried out to investigate the structure of the mud edifice and the effect of local geological active features. The new residual Bouguer anomaly map, calculated for a reference density of 2670 kg m−3, shows significant changes in the local gravity field in comparison to the previous 2006-gravity map survey. The new data set shows that the gravity decrease is generally restricted along the faulted and fractured zones, around erupting vents, and in the southern part of the mud edifice. Maximum gravity variations reach 1.4 mGal in some areas of the mud edifice. In the region outside the embankment, the gravity reductions are 0.6 mGal E-W and 1.0 mGal N-S. A second vertical derivative analysis of gravity data indicates that the mud edifice continues to pile up and subside mostly in the western and southern part of the edifice. Results of a 3D forward model of a vertical cylinder shape allowed characterising the extent of compacted material along the Watukosek fault system that originates from the neighbouring volcanic arc and crosses the mud edifice. Our results support the hypothesis of local pinched volume of mud ongoing between the subsided and uplifted masses of mud. The density of compacted mud breccia material increases between 16 and 27%. Gravity data also shows that the Lusi mud edifice is built over an extended NW-SE gravity increase, interpreted as a sediment density variation within the basin, and which is parallel to the trend of the Basin.

Understanding the trigger for the LUSI mud volcano eruption from ground deformation signatures

Abstract The LUSI mud volcano in the sub-district of Porong, Sidoarjo, East Java, Indonesia started to erupt on 29 May 2006. An almost continuous eruption of a mixture of mud, water and gas has occurred around this area since this date. The eruption triggered vertical and horizontal ground deformation. From June 2006 to December 2010, 14 global positioning system campaigns were conducted to observe the ground deformation using c. 50 stations sparsely located up to 10 km from the eruption centre. Field observations of cracks, terrestrial laser scanning and geo-electrical measurements have also been used to infer the ground deformation signature around the LUSI mud volcano. More than 150 pairs of interferograms generated from 66 ALOS PALSAR images from June 2006 to December 2009 have also been used to study the ground deformation caused by the LUSI mud volcano. The LUSI mud eruption began only 200 m from where the Lapindo Inc. oil company was drilling for oil and gas. The drilling may have pierced a deeper high-pressure zone, causing an underground blow-out of the drillhole into a hydrofracture. Alternatively, the magnitude 6.3 Yogyakarta earthquake, which was located c. 275 km from the eruption site and occurred two days before the LUSI eruption, may have shaken the area sufficiently to cause the eruption by reactivating a fault in the region and liquefying the mud. These two hypotheses for triggering the mud volcano have been argued vehemently and still remain controversial. The ground deformation signatures provide important clues to understanding the trigger for the eruption and to solve this controversy. Co-seismic fault reactivation has its own typical ground deformation signature. This study used global positioning system and InSAR techniques, as well as field observations of cracks, terrestrial laser scanning and geo-electrical measurements, to determine the signature of ground deformation around the LUSI mud volcano and to explain the triggering mechanism.

A Quick Assessment Method for the Mud Eruption Hazard Risks of the Lusi Surrounding Area with a Special Reference to Ground Deformation Behavior

The Lusi mud eruption in Sidoarjo of East Java has provided huge impact to the people living in the surrounding area. The eruption has been followed by ground subsidence that has changed the ground structure. An assessment method has been introduced for analyzing the hazard. The method employs a rating system to quantify the hazard parameters, in which ground deformation parameters are significant. A hazard risk index is therefore obtained by multiplying hazard potential and vulnerability parameters.

Influence of seismicity on the Lusi mud eruption

AbstractEarthquakes trigger the eruption of mud and magmatic volcanoes and influence ongoing eruptive activity. One mechanism that could trigger an eruption is clay liquefaction. Here we model the propagation of seismic waves beneath the Lusi mud eruption (East Java, Indonesia) using available seismic velocity and density models to assess the effect of subsurface structure on the amplification of incident seismic waves. We find that using an updated subsurface density and velocity structure, there is no significant amplification of incident seismic energy in the Upper Kalibeng Formation, the source of the erupting solids. Hence, the hypothesis that the Lusi eruption was triggered by clay liquefaction appears unlikely to be correct. Independent constraints from gas chemistry as well as analyses of drilling activities at the nearby Banjar‐Panji 1 gas exploration well and an analysis of the effects of other earthquakes all favor a drilling trigger.

Deep and shallow sources for the Lusi mud eruption revealed by surface deformation

AbstractThe Lusi mud eruption, in East Java, Indonesia, began in May 2006 and continues to the present. Previous analyses of surface deformation data suggested an exponential decay of the pressure in the mud source but did not constrain the location, geometry, and evolution of the possible source(s) of the erupting mud and fluids. To map the surface deformation, we employ multitemporal interferometric synthetic aperture radar and analyze a well‐populated L‐band data set acquired by the Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS) between May 2006 and April 2011. We then apply a time‐dependent inverse modeling scheme. Volume changes occur in two regions beneath Lusi, at 0.3–2.0 km and 3.5–4.75 km depth. The cumulative volume change within the shallow source is ~2–3 times larger than that of the deep source. The observation and model suggest that a shallow source plays a key role by supplying the erupting mud, but that additional fluids do ascend from depths >4 km on eruptive timescales.

Triggered mud eruption?

The Indonesian government ruled that the Lusi mud eruption was triggered by drilling and held an oil company responsible. Instead, a curved rock layer capping the mud reservoir may have amplified passing seismic waves and the trigger may have been natural.