Lusi, the largest mud volcano disaster in the world
Schedule
Thu, 02 Apr, 2026 at 09:00 am
UTC+10:30Location
Mawson Lecture Theatre | Adelaide, SA
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David GrybowskiField Geology Club of South Australia
Born 29 May 2006 and not dead yet. Volcanoes are no strangers to Indonesia and Lusi is the biggest mud volcano in the world. It has swallowed up 13 villages and caused the displacement of 50,000 people. Farmland has been laid waste and houses submerged to the rooftops. A perimeter levee of 4 m height surrounds an area of 8.2 km2 - that alone contains 206 million barrels of mud. But that’s not all. Mud initially flowed way beyond the containment levee, there has been subsidence of 7 to 25 m, and mud has periodically been released down the Porong River.
There are two Adelaide connections to the catastrophe. Firstly, the Paper War. Dr Mark Tingay was a lecturer at the University of Adelaide when the disaster struck. He was an early responder to Dr Adriano Mazzini et al’s assertion that the mud volcano was due to an earthquake. Dr Tingay et al fired back with the explanation that the culprit was a nearby well being drilled at the time. The Paper War persisted for 12 years and was still being commented on in 2020. Secondly, Santos had an 18% interest in the well which was operated by an Indonesian family company.
Who won the Paper War in the judgement of the Indonesian Supreme Court? How was Santos able to mysteriously dispose of its 18% interest and contribute almost nothing to the cleanup? Were there any operational irregularities that could lead to a blowout? David will answer these vital questions and many more with irony and delightful wit and wisdom in this thrilling Field Geology talk.
David’s 35 years in petroleum geology have given him ample opportunity to ponder where things might have gone wrong.
Members and visitors are warmly invited to attend.
For further information visit: www.fieldgeologyclubsa.org.au
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Where is it happening?
Mawson Lecture Theatre, Mawson Lecture Theatre, Adelaide SA 5000, Australia, AdelaideEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
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