UNDERSTANDING THE VEGETATION DIVERSITY IN QUATERNARY JAVA MUD VOLCANOES
Eri Sarmantua Sitinjak, Danni Gatot Harbowo

ITB

Abstract

Since the eruption of Lumpur Sidoarjo in 2006, studying mud volcanoes in Indonesia has been more intriguing for geologists. Nevertheless, other mud volcanoes are also recognized in Sukabumi, West Java (Ciuyah Mud Volcano), Madura Island (Soccah or Buhjel Tasek Mud Volcano), East Nusa Tenggara (Napan and Pulau Semau), and some are in the Madura Strait, but it occurred naturally. Unfortunately, there have been no initial comprehensive studies on the vegetation around mud volcanoes in Indonesia until now, nor have there been any studies on their relationship with the geology of the mud volcano. This paper is one of the approaches to summarize the documented vegetation around mud volcanoes in Indonesia- some are still active mud volcanoes, and others are less active to inactive. We have already investigated these mud volcanoes by field mapping all recognizable mud volcanoes on onshore Java and Madura Island, extending from Sukabumi to Madura. Samples from the mud volcano, including fluid, gas, mud, and vegetation, were collected and sent to a dedicated laboratory for deeper analysis. Our result shows that specific vegetation typically grows at the inner rim and the surrounding area of the mud volcano. This phenomenon was related to the composition of mud volcano products, which had the role of selection in vegetation to adapt to the high-toxic environment.

Keywords: Vegetation diversity, Mud volcano, Overpressure, Salse, Quaternary Java, Agrogeology, Geobotany, Soil Science

Topic: Soil sciences