Mud Flood: Indonesian Eruption Also Spewed Oil
A massive mud flow that has buried villages, a highway and other structures near the city of Sidoarjo in East Java, Indonesia, (aka Lusi, for Lumpur Sidoarjo) spewed oil for more than a week in late March, according to geologists there. The threat of oil in the mix added to the health and environmental risks from the mud eruption that was most likely caused by oil drilling gone awry. The mud volcano has displaced 30,000 people and caused roughly $1 billion in damage since erupting on May 29, 2006, according to geologists at the Durham University in England.About two years ago, Indonesian oil company Lapindo Brantas drilled a well into pressurized rocks in an East Java oil field. But something went wrong when the well breached rocks somewhere around 9,000 feet (3,000 meters) underground, depressurizing the fluid in the rocks below. [More]