Handoko Teguh Wibowo
Geological Engineering Department, Mineral and Marine Technology Faculty, ITATS
ABSTRACT
Mud volcanoes are most abundant in areas with rapid sedimentation rates, active
compressional tectonics, and the generation of hydrocarbons at depth. Typically they are also found
in tectonic subduction zones, accretionary wedges, passive margins within deltaic systems and in
active hydrothermal areas, collisional tectonic areas, convergent orogenic belts, active fault systems,
fault-related folds, and anticline axes. The existence of mud volcanoes are controlled by tectonic
activity where fluid escapes from areas undergoing complex crustal deformation as a result of
transpressional and transtensional tectonics. Collisional plate interactions create abnormal pressure
condition and consequently overpressured build up of deep sedimentary sediment which in turn result
in formation of diapirs. Over pressured zones typically are under-compacted sedimentary layers which
have lower density than the overlying rock units, and hence have an ability to flow. LUSI Mud
Volcano is located about 10 km northeast of Penanggungan Mountain complex, in Renokenongo
village, Porong District, Sidoarjo Regency, East Java. Its location is in the Southern part of the
hydrocarbon prolific East Java inverted back-arc Basin formed during the Oligocene – Early Miocene,
on the Eastern tip of the Kendeng Zone. The geology of the area is characterized by the rapid
deposition of thick organic rich sediment as part of the Brantas delta, and is influenced by the
extensional tectonic regime. The temperature at the surface on LUSI is 100 C. Natural heat within the
earth is geothermal energy. Reliable power is generated from underground water which seeps below
on LUSI location is feasible to develop as geothermal energy. Some rock fragmen in LUSI also shown
material come from upper mantle or near by volcanic system. They are metasediment rock and little
metamorphic rock.
Key words: mud volcano, strike slip fault, active compressional tectonics, active fault, geothermal