Geologists Advise of Fault Lines: Jakarta, Indonesia

According to an article in the Jakarta Post today it seems that Jakarta is next on the hit list for an earthquake. A geologist from the Bandung Institute of Technology said more than 10 fault lines passed back and forth through Jakarta.

Apparently soothsayers predicted the earthquake in Yogyakarta and are now predicting that Jakarta would be the next city to be rocked by an earthquake. Fault lines criss-cross the city and are active meaning at any time the capital could be shaken badly and not stirred.

Geologists have urged the various councils concerned to commission a study to investigate any possibility of movement that would trigger a disaster. Jakarta has an active fault line running from Ciputat in Tangerang to Kota in West Jakarta. A geological map showed fault lines crossing the Cisadane River; Kebon Jeruk in West Jakarta; Kebayoran Lama and Pasar Minggu in South Jakarta; and Depok, Bogor, Bekasi and Cileungsi in West Java.

The last earthquake to hit Jakarta was a mild one in 2002. Indonesia lies on the so-called Ring of Fire, a circle of volcanic and seismic activity curling around the Pacific Ocean.