The sediments of Lake Singkarak and Lake Maninjau in West Sumatra reveal their earthquake, volcanic and rainfall history
Journal
Sedimentary Geology
Journal Volume
416
Date Issued
2021
Author(s)
Wils, K. et al.
Daryono, M.R.
Praet, N.
Santoso, A.B.
Dianto, A.
Schmidt, S.
Vervoort, M.
Kusmanto, E.
Suandhi, P.
Natawidjaja, D.H.
De Batist, M.
Abstract
Natural hazards such as earthquakes, volcanic activity, and heavy rainfall causing floods and debris avalanches are common phenomena in many tropical settings, including the island of Sumatra, located in the Indonesian archipelago. To enhance our understanding of the recurrence of these often destructive events, we studied the sedimentary infill of two lakes in the Padang highlands, West Sumatra. This includes Lake Singkarak, a tectonically-formed lake located on a step-over of a major strike-slip fault system (the Sumatran Fault), and Lake Maninjau, a caldera lake. Both lakes are located ~300 km from the Sunda subduction trench and surrounded by steep slopes and a chain of active volcanoes. Hence, considering their unique tectonic setting, these lakes may potentially record a wide range of natural hazards that affect the region. A combination of seismic-reflection profiles and short sediment cores revealed that both lakes indeed record various types of natural hazards, each with their own sedimentary response to a specific type of event. Lake Singkarak can be used to study past floods and major debris avalanches in addition to high-magnitude megathrust earthquakes, while traces of past intraplate earthquakes have been identified in both lakes. Furthermore, we argue that Lake Singkarak is an ideal recorder of volcanic activity in the region, while Lake Maninjau itself can pose a volcanic hazard to its surroundings as demonstrated by potential activity of the volcano below the lake. ? 2021 Elsevier B.V.
Subjects
Earthquake
Indonesia
Lacustrine paleoseismology
Natural hazards
Turbidite
Volcanic activity
Debris
Earthquakes
Floods
Hazards
Landslides
Rain
Sedimentology
Strike-slip faults
Volcanoes
Intraplate earthquakes
Megathrust earthquakes
Potential activities
Sedimentary infill
Sedimentary response
Seismic reflection profiles
Strike-slip fault systems
Volcanic activities
Lakes
core analysis
crater lake
intraplate process
lacustrine deposit
natural hazard
paleoseismicity
rainfall
seismic reflection
tectonic setting
turbidite
volcanic earthquake
volcanology
Maninjau
Singkarak Lake
Sumatra
West Sumatra
Type
journal article