Banten Is Prone To Earthquakes, An Expert From Unpad Explain It

Illustration (Photo: Pixabay)

BANDUNG - Expert from the Faculty of Geological Engineering, Padjadjaran University (Unpad) Dr. Iyan Haryanto said the Banten area was prone to tectonic earthquakes because it was included in the Accretion Prism area.

According to him, Prisma Accretion is an area that is prone to earthquakes because it is located above earthquake centers. This area is a collection of rising faults or uplifting faults due to the collision or subduction process.

"In Sumatra, this Accretion Prism appears to be an island, while in the south of Java it has not yet formed an island," said Iyan on the Unpad official website which can be visited in Bandung, as reported by Antara, Wednesday, January 19.

According to him, if one of the faults plunged down, the other side would be lifted due to the subduction process. One of the areas in Indonesia that is located in the area of the accretion fault is Nias Island in North Sumatra.

According to him, the recent earthquake in southern Java is a reminder that Indonesia is in an area of plates that are constantly moving. The movement of tectonic plates, he said, is the trigger for earthquakes.

This is because, he said, Indonesia is located at plate boundaries that are constantly moving with each other. In the west, the plate boundary starts from the west of Sumatra, then continues to the south of Java, Bali, Nusa Tenggara, to Maluku.

Although the earthquake point in southern Java is often far from the mainland, according to him, people on the mainland need to remain vigilant. Because according to him, active faults on land also play a role in accelerating the propagation of vibrations caused by earthquakes in the ocean.

"This is a factor in why an earthquake can be felt in areas quite far from the point of the earthquake," he said.

Therefore, the public's knowledge of disaster mitigation, according to him, must be strengthened. He assessed that the lack of knowledge of disaster mitigation will have a fatal impact when a disaster occurs.

"People on the island of Java, in particular, cannot avoid frequent earthquakes," said Iyan.