introduction

The Story of LUSI

No disaster in recent history has received as much attention nor created as much controversy as that of LUSI, the mud volcano in E. Java, Indonesia that suddenly erupted on May 29, 2006.  That is mainly because most disasters command a few hours, days or weeks in the public eye and then fade into memory, except perhaps for the victims.  But LUSI has been a unique disaster; the hot mud, which first began spewing from the earth following a powerful earthquake, is still pouring forth at the rate of up to 150,000 cubic meters per day.  Some 40,000 residents living near the eruption have lost their homes, belongings and, in some cases livelihoods and lives.  Whole villages have been inundated with mud, infrastructure destroyed and reputations ruined.

This website is dedicated to bringing forth the facts of this terrible, on-going disaster including the scientific, economic, humanitarian and political issues that have made LUSI the talk of the geophysical world.  The world's fastest growing mud volcano was dubbed LUSI as a compendium of the Indonesian word for mud (lumpur) and the East Java town near which LUSI was born (Sidoarjo). 

Chain of Events

• 5:54 27 May 2006 an earthquake occurred on the Indonesian island of Java near the city of Yogyakarta.

• The earthquake measured 6.3.

• Two after shocks followed measuring 4.8 and 4.6.

• The seismic exploration vessel "Orient Explorer" positioned 290 km away recorded seismic activity that was "off the charts".

• The earthquake caused the reactivation of Merapi Volcano 50 km from the epicentre and Semeru Volcano 280 km away.

• 6,000 Indonesians died and 1,500,000 were left homeless.

• Home to 130 million people, Java is considered the most densely populated island in the world. It also lies on the boundary of two tectonic plates commonly known as the "Ring of Fire".

• The movement of these tectonic plates caused the earthquake.

• Seismic activity is common in Indonesia. These same tectonic plates created the 2004 tsunami that claimed the lives of over 300,000 people.

• 250 km away exploration company Lapindo Brantas were drilling for gas reserves in a deep sedimentary basin called the Kujung Formation.

• The drilling team felt the earthquake hit.

• 7 minutes after the earthquake, the well experienced a loss of circulation.

• The drilling team controlled the situation to normal industry standards.

• Drilling then continued.

• Hours later two large after-shocks were felt.

• The well then experienced a "kick", this was also controlled to normal industry standards.

• Drilling then continued.

• Large cracks in the ground were identified within the drilling staging area.

• 5:00 AM the following day a mud eruption was spotted southwest 200 meters from the drilling platform.

• The mud was erupting from 3 locations along a newly formed surface crack.

• Within 2 days more mud eruptions appeared, this time 500 meters away from the drilling platform.

• The eruptions appeared to be in a straight line running along the Watukosek Fault from Penanggungan Mountain to Madura Island.

• The mud eruption - identified by scientists as a "mud volcano" has been named "LUSI", a compendium of the Indonesian word for mud (lumpur) and Sidoarjo, the town where LUSI was born.

• LUSI has been erupting continuously since May 29, 2006 and scientists believe there is no way to stop the flow of mud.