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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

Thumbnail of and link to report PDF (4.5 MB)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.

Version 1.0

Posted August 2008


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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Last modified: Wednesday, 07-Dec-2016 21:23:22 EST