ITS Expert Explains Surabaya Fault: Is It Real?

A geology expert from the Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology (ITS), Dr Ir Amien Widodo, has urged citizens not to panic in response to information regarding an active fault in Surabaya that has gone viral on social media. The fault has not yet been scientifically verified as active.

“The existence of faults in the Surabaya region has been part of previous research,” said the adjunct lecturer from the Department of Geophysical Engineering in Surabaya on Thursday.

ITS, alongside the Geological Survey Centre of the Geological Agency under the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) of the Republic of Indonesia, previously conducted research on fault maps in East Java, which was published in 2024.

“The results of that research indicate the presence of two faults, namely the Surabaya fault and the Waru fault,” he said.

According to Amien, both faults have the potential to be active and have experienced movement in the past. The research findings are also consistent with the Indonesian fault map compiled by the National Earthquake Study Centre (Pusgen) in 2024.

“The fault passing through Surabaya, Sidoarjo, to Bangkalan does exist, but it has not yet been verified as active,” he stated.

He emphasised that the existence of a fault does not automatically mean it can be categorised as an active fault. Determining such a status requires further research based on evidence and scientific study.