Foreign geologists discussing Sidoarjo mudflow in London

Jakarta, NU Online
More than a hundred geologists from noted universities around the world, including Indonesia, on Tuesday began a two-day international conference in London to discuss the mudflow phenomenon in Sidoarjo, East Java, an Indonesian participant, Sunaryo Suradi, said.

He said Richard Davies, a geologist from Durham University in London had initiated the conference on "Subsurface Sediment Remobilization and Fluid Flow in Sedimentary Basins" to professionally discuss the mudflow in Sidoarjo based on the latest data.<>

According to Suradi, the geologists would present papers on why the subsurface sediment became reactive and flowed out.

Sponsored by oil companies BP, Chevron, ConocoPhilips, DONG Energy, Oilexco, Shell and StatoilHydro, the conference was also being attended by Prof Michael Manga of the University of California in Berkeley, Richard Swarbrick of Geopressure Technology, and Bambang Istadi of PT Energy Mega Persada in Indonesia as speakers.

The keynote speakers at the conference would be Dr Richard Davies and Prof Svensen of the University of Oslo.

Suradi said the Sidoarjo mudflow had drawn the geologists` attention and they now wanted to discuss it because to date there had yet to be a correct explanation about the cause and origin of the mud.

"The geologists international conference is very interesting and important for the future of the Porong area in Sidoarjo," Suradi was quoted by Antara as saying. (dar)