Geological Agency Investigate Land Cracks Due To Earthquake In Sumedang

The Geological Agency of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources conducted an investigation and collected information related to soil cracks and damage caused by the earthquake that rocked Sumedang Regency, West Java.

"The results of the initial investigation show indications of land cracks directed northeast to southwest. The affected area is an area with a water level of 1.5 to 3 meters from the surface," said an official statement from the Geological Agency quoted by ANTARA, Tuesday, January 2.

On December 31, 2023, Sumedang Regency was shaken by a series of earthquakes three times with a magnitude of 4.1, then 3.4 magnitudes, and 4.8 magnitudes.

A day later precisely on January 1, 2024, the earthquake again shook the area with a strength of 4.5 magnitudes. The successive earthquake caused about 400 houses to be damaged and about 500 people fled to a safe place.

The Geological Agency has issued a temporary conclusion that the impact of damage is not massive in public facilities and infrastructure in Sumedang Regency and information on some minor damage to houses in the Babakan Hurip settlement.

Based on data from the Geological Agency, the Sumedang area is generally composed by medium soil (class D) and hard soil (class C).

The area is generally composed by quaternary deposits in the form of volcanic rock (pillars, lava, tugs) and lake deposits. Some of the volcanic rock has been weathered.

The endaction of the quarter in general is soft, loose, not compact, and strengthens the effects of shocks, so that it is prone to earthquakes.

Based on the location of the earthquake center and the depth of the BMKG data, the earthquake was estimated to be due to active fault activity, namely the Cileunyi Fault - Tanjungsari.

Head of the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) Hendra Gunawan explained that the Cileunyi - Tanjungsari Fault was a horizontal post.

The faults were spread from the south of Tanjungsari Village to the northeast to the Cipeles River valley and had a sliding rate of between 0.19 and 0.48 millimeters per year.