Garsela Fault and other NE-SW active faults along the southern part of Java Island

Abstract

Abstract Most earthquake studies focus mainly on offshore subduction zones that often produce high-magnitude earthquakes. However, onshore active fault earthquakes also common to cause significant devastation, due to their proximity to human activity and their relatively shallow depth. Most of active faults in Java show a west-east (W-E) trending direction. However, the devastating Opak Fault ruptured in a NE-SW trend. Recent studies indicate that some shallow seismic clusters in Java cannot be associated with any known active fault traces. These seismic activities reported occurring in southern Garut, Cipamingkis (Sukabumi), Halimun-Salak Mountain (Bogor), and Grindulu in Pacitan. These seismic clusters show similar direction to the Opak Fault that ruptured an Mw6.4 earthquake in 2006 with thousands of fatalities. Here, we describe a brief review of the NE-SW trending active fault in the southern Garut area. Earthquake is a natural phenomenon with a repetitive mechanism. Therefore, we must be aware of the future hazard that has been demonstrated by recent seismic activities in this area.