Geology Expert from ITS Urges Public Not to Panic Over Surabaya Fault: Activity Not Yet Verified

A geology expert from the Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS), Amien Widodo, has urged the public to remain calm and avoid panic regarding information circulating on social media about the existence of an active fault or fracture in the Surabaya region. According to him, this information has not yet been scientifically verified and should not trigger excessive concern.

The extraordinary lecturer from the ITS Department of Geophysical Engineering explained that the existence of the Surabaya fault is not a new phenomenon and has been part of previous geological research.

Amien revealed that ITS, together with the Geological Survey Centre of the Geological Agency under the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) of the Republic of Indonesia, published research regarding fault maps in East Java in 2024.

“The results of that research show the existence of two faults, namely the Surabaya fault and the Waru fault,” Amien stated in Surabaya on Thursday (10/9).

He added that both faults do indeed have potential activity and have been recorded as having experienced movement in the past. This finding is also consistent with the Indonesian fault map compiled by the National Earthquake Study Centre (Pusgen) in the same year.

Although the existence of fault lines crossing Surabaya, Sidoarjo, and Bangkalan has been identified, Amien emphasised that their current activity status still requires in-depth study.

“The faults passing through Surabaya, Sindo, to Bangkalan do exist, but they have not been verified as active. We must understand that there are both active and inactive faults. To label one as an active fault, further research based on evidence and scientific study is necessary,” he asserted.

Therefore, he requested that the public be more critical in filtering disaster-related information circulating on social media, especially information that has not undergone the verification process by the relevant authorities.

As an anticipatory measure, Amien encouraged the Surabaya City Government to strengthen disaster mitigation systems. He hopes that the developing issue can serve as a momentum for both the government and the community to increase preparedness in facing disaster risks, such as earthquakes, in the future.