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Open-File Report 2008–1019
Preliminary Analytical Results for a Mud Sample Collected from the LUSI Mud Volcano, Sidoarjo, East Java, Indonesia
By Geoffrey S. Plumlee, Thomas J. Casadevall, Handoko T. Wibowo, Robert J. Rosenbauer, Craig A. Johnson, George N. Breit, Heather A. Lowers, Ruth E. Wolf, Philip L. Hageman, Harland Goldstein, Michael W. Anthony, Cyrus J. Berry, David L. Fey, Gregory P. Meeker, and Suzette A. Morman
 On May 29, 2006, mud and gases began erupting unexpectedly from a vent 150 meters away from a hydrocarbon exploration well near Sidoarjo, East Java, Indonesia. The eruption, called the LUSI (Lumpur “mud”-Sidoarjo) mud volcano, has continued since then at rates as high as 160,000 m3 per day. At the request of the United States Department of State, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has been providing technical assistance to the Indonesian Government on the geological and geochemical aspects of the mud eruption. This report presents initial characterization results of a sample of the mud collected on September 22, 2007, as well as interpretive findings based on the analytical results. The focus is on characteristics of the mud sample (including the solid and water components of the mud) that may be of potential environmental or human health concern. Characteristics that provide insights into the possible origins of the mud and its contained solids and waters have also been evaluated.
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Version 1.0
Posted August 2008
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Suggested citation:
Plumlee, G.S., Casadevall, T.J., Wibowo, H.T., Rosenbauer, R.J., Johnson, C.A., Breit, G.N., Lowers, H.A., Wolf, R.E., Hageman, P.L., Goldstein, H., Anthony, M.W., Berry, C.J., Fey, D.L.,, Meeker, G.P., and Morman, S.A., 2008, Preliminary analytical results for a mud sample collected from the LUSI mud volcano, Sidoarjo, East Java, Indonesia: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2008-1019.
Contents
Overview
Introduction
Sample Collection and Processing
Analytical Methods
Preliminary Findings
Waters separated from the mud
Mud particle-size analysis
Mud mineralogy
Mud inorganic chemical composition
Mud organic chemical composition
Mud sulfur speciation
Net acid-production potential
Insights from the Mud and Water Analytical Results
Gas eruptions
Suggested further studies
USGS Contacts
References Cited
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U.S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey