Lembang Fault

Last updated
Lembang Fault
Gunung Batu.jpg
A fault scarp of the lembang fault
Country Indonesia
Region West Java
Cities Bandung
Characteristics
Length29 km
Displacement 1.95–3.45 mm/yr
Tectonics
Statusactive
Earthquakes None recorded historically
Type crustal
Movement right-lateral strike-slip
Age Pleistocene

The Lembang Fault (Indonesian: Sesar Lembang) is an active fault located 10 km north of the city of Bandung on the Indonesian island of Java. This sinistral slip fault is estimated to measure 29 km in length. [1] While no historical earthquakes have occurred, the fault is thought to be possible of generating a magnitude (Mw ) 6.5 to 7.0 earthquake in the future. [2] Because of the potential for large and damaging earthquakes on the fault, the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has been monitoring activity on the fault. [3]

Contents

Activity

Paleoseismic trenching along the fault in a 2019 study uncovered three earthquakes in the 15th century, 2300–60 BCE and 19,620–19,140 BP with a recurrence interval of 170 to 670 years. [2]

Threat

The Indonesian Institute of Sciences has urged that the Government of Indonesia educate the residents in nearby population centers about the dangers of a damaging earthquake on the fault. [4]

In 2019, the BMKG said that 22 seismic monitoring devices would be installed around that fault to monitor its activity and detect movements. [5]

Earthquakes can cause IDR 51 Trillion ($3.5 Billion) worth of damage, exceeding that of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. It is estimated that around 2.5 million homes would be affected, including one million lightly damaged. Another million others seriously damaged and 500 thousand homes collapsed. An estimated four million would be displaced and 180,000 injured and 80,000 may be killed. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2009 West Java earthquake</span> Earthquake in Indonesia

An earthquake occurred on September 2, 2009 at 14:55:01 local time in West Java, Indonesia. The magnitude 7.0 earthquake killed at least 81 people, injured over 1,297, and displaced over 210,000. The quake was felt in the capital Jakarta, although damage there was minimal, and it was Indonesia's deadliest earthquake since the 2006 Pangandaran earthquake and tsunami.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">July 2018 Lombok earthquake</span> Earthquake that occurred in July 2018 in Indonesia

A Mw 6.4 earthquake struck the island of Lombok on the morning of 29 July 2018 at a shallow depth of 14 km (8.7 mi). Widespread damage was reported in the area, and authorities confirmed that 20 people were killed in the earthquake while hundreds were injured.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Sulawesi earthquake and tsunami</span> 7.5 Mw earthquake Landslide and tsunami in Indonesia

On 28 September 2018, a shallow, large earthquake struck in the neck of the Minahasa Peninsula, Indonesia, with its epicentre located in the mountainous Donggala Regency, Central Sulawesi. The magnitude 7.5 quake was located 70 km (43 mi) away from the provincial capital Palu and was felt as far away as Samarinda on East Kalimantan and also in Tawau, Malaysia. This event was preceded by a sequence of foreshocks, the largest of which was a magnitude 6.1 tremor that occurred earlier that day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 East Java earthquake</span> Earthquake affecting Indonesia

On 11 October 2018, an earthquake struck off the coast of East Java, Indonesia, with the epicentre located off the coast of Situbondo Regency. The earthquake, which struck at dawn, killing four people in addition to destroying or damaging hundreds of houses, mostly on the small island of Sapudi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 North Maluku earthquake</span> July 7, 2019, earthquakes in Indonesia

The 2019 North Maluku earthquake, a shallow 7.2 magnitude earthquake, struck the island of Halmahera, North Maluku, Indonesia on 14 July 2019 at 18:10 local time with its epicentre located at South Halmahera. It struck at a shallow depth of 10 km (6.2 mi) near Labuha, a small port town located in Bacan Island. The earthquake produced a non-destructive 20 cm tsunami, which struck Labuha just minutes after the shaking started. 14 people were killed by the earthquake while 129 people were injured, and more than 50,000 people were displaced. The earthquake inflicted a total damage of Rp 238 billion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Sunda Strait earthquake</span> 7 July 2019, earthquakes in Indonesia

The 2019 Sunda Strait earthquake occurred on the night of 2 August 2019, when a magnitude 6.9 earthquake rattled Sunda Strait at a moderate depth of 52.8 kilometres. The epicentre was located 214 km from Bandar Lampung, the capital of Lampung and 147 km west of Sumur, Pandeglang Regency. The earthquake struck with a maximum intensity of VI (Strong). The earthquake prompted a tsunami warning in the area, with authorities urging coastal residents to immediately evacuate to higher grounds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Ambon earthquake</span> Earthquake affecting Maluku, Indonesia

On 26 September 2019, a strong magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck Seram Island in Maluku, Indonesia, near the provincial capital of Ambon. The earthquake struck at 07:46:44 Eastern Indonesia Time with a shallow depth of 18 km. The tremor could be felt throughout the island, with an intensity of very strong (VII) reportedly felt in the provincial capital of Ambon.

A moment magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck Majene Regency in West Sulawesi, Indonesia, on 15 January 2021, at 02:28 WITA. The reverse faulting shock initiated at 18.0 km (11.2 mi) depth with an epicenter inland, located 32 km (20 mi) south of Mamuju. It was preceded by a Mw  5.7 foreshock several hours prior. Shaking from the mainshock was assigned a maximum Modified Mercalli intensity of VI (Strong) in Majene and Mamuju. Four of the five regencies in West Sulawesi were affected. More than 6,000 structures were damaged or destroyed; damage was estimated at Rp829.1 billion rupiah. At least 105 people were confirmed dead; more than 3,300 were injured and thousands were displaced.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1834 Java earthquake</span> Earthquake on the island of Java in 1834

The 1834 Java earthquake struck the Dutch East Indies island of Java, in the city of Bogor. The earthquake occurred on the morning of October 11, 1834. It was assigned VIII (Severe) to IX (Violent) on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.

The 2021 Bali earthquake struck at 04:18 local time (UTC+08:00) when people were still sleeping on 15 October 2021. It resulted in 4 deaths and 73 more injured, despite having a moment magnitude of 4.7.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Flores earthquake</span> Earthquake in Indonesia

An earthquake occurred 112 km, offshore, north of Maumere in the Flores Sea on December 14. The quake had a moment magnitude of 7.3 according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). One person was killed and 173 others suffered injuries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Sumatra earthquake</span> Earthquake in Indonesia

On 25 February 2022 at 08:39 WIB, a moment magnitude (Mw ) 6.2 earthquake struck West Sumatra, Indonesia at a depth of 4.0 km (2.5 mi). Preceded by one foreshock and followed by over 200 aftershocks, the mainshock had an epicenter at the foot of Mount Talakmau in Pasaman Regency. The mainshock was the result of strike-slip faulting along a previously unidentified segment of the Great Sumatran Fault. At least 27 people died, 457 were injured, and 19,221 others were displaced. It inflicted 780 million Indonesian rupiahs (Rp) worth of damage. The heaviest damage was recorded at three villages around Mount Talakmau. Landslides and flash floods caused additional damage and casualties.

The 1979 Yapen earthquake occurred on September 12 at 05:17:51 UTC. It had an epicenter near the coast of Yapen Island in Irian Jaya, Indonesia. Measuring 7.5 on the moment magnitude scale and having a depth of 20 km (12 mi), it caused severe damage on the island. At least 115 were killed due to shaking and a moderate tsunami.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baribis Fault</span>

The Baribis Fault is a geological feature located in the northern part of Java. This fault, estimated to be 100 kilometers long, stretches from Purwakarta to Lebak Regency and is a threat to the Jakarta metropolitan area because the fault is partially located within the metropolitan area itself.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danny Hilman Natawidjaja</span> Indonesian geologist

Danny Hilman Natawidjaja is an Indonesian geologist specializing in earthquake geology and geotectonics at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) Research Center for Geotechnology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 West Java earthquake</span> Earthquake in Indonesia

On 21 November 2022, at 13:21 WIB (UTC+07:00), a Mww 5.6 earthquake struck near Cianjur in West Java, Indonesia. The strike-slip earthquake occurred with a focal depth of 11 km (6.8 mi). Between 335 and 635 people died, 7,729 were injured and five remain missing. More than 62,628 homes were damaged across 16 districts in Cianjur Regency and the surrounding region. It is the deadliest earthquake to hit Indonesia since the 2018 Sulawesi earthquake. Damage evaluated after the event earned it a maximum Modified Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe).

A moment magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck offshore near the Tanimbar Islands, Maluku, Indonesia, at a depth of 105.1 km, on 10 January 2023.

The Citarik Fault is a strike-slip fault that cuts across Western Java, Indonesia, passing through Pelabuhan Ratu, Bogor and Bekasi. It is a long crack in the earth’s crust where two tectonic plates move past each other. The fault has been active since the Middle Miocene period, about 15 million years ago.

References

  1. Eko Yulianto (2015). "Geological and tectonic implications obtained from first seismic activity investigation around Lembang fault". Geophysical Research Letters. 2 (4): 4. Bibcode:2015GSL.....2....4A. doi: 10.1186/s40562-015-0020-5 . S2CID   55403293.
  2. 1 2 Mudrik R. Daryono; Danny H. Natawidjaja; Benjamin Sapiie; Phil Cummins (2019). "Earthquake Geology of the Lembang Fault, West Java, Indonesia". Tectonophysics. 751: 180–191. Bibcode:2019Tectp.751..180D. doi:10.1016/j.tecto.2018.12.014. S2CID   133823206.
  3. "Mengenal Sesar Lembang, Patahan Gempa di Bandung yang Terus Aktif Sejak 1963" [Understanding the Lembang Fault, Earthquake Fault in Bandung Still Active Since 1963]. merdeka.com (in Indonesian). 28 January 2021.
  4. Arya Dipa (2011). "Scientists tout quake threat from Lembang fault near Bandung". The Jakarta Post . Retrieved 22 July 2021.
  5. Anwar Siswadi (2019). "BMKG Installs More Seismic Sensors along the Lembang Fault Line". Tempo. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
  6. "Inilah yang Terjadi saat Gempa Lembang Menghantam Bandung" [This Is What Happens When Lembang Earthquake Hits Bandung]. Tirto.id (in Indonesian). 20 October 2017.