Earth Observatory of Singapore

Spotlight: Indonesia

Testing the Potential of Wave Gliders for Ocean Exploration and Seafloor Geodesy in SE Asia

Barbot's team is developing geophysical marine robots to probe the deformation of the seafloor. The end goal is to extend geodetic measurements offshore to better understand earthquakes, tectonic processes and tsunami hazards.

The Legend that Saves Lives

113 years ago, on 4 January 1907, a powerful magnitude (M) 8.2-8.4 earthquake occurred off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. This earthquake belonged to a special class called “tsunami earthquakes” that do not generate very strong shaking, but can result in large tsunamis.

How the Recent Eruptions in Indonesia were Reported to Aviation Authorities

Did you know that in the past six weeks six volcanoes in Indonesia erupted? These volcanoes are Semeru, Anak Krakatau, Merapi, Kerinci, Dukono, and Ibu.

These recent eruptions are part of the usual volcanic bustle in Indonesia, impacting mostly the areas close to the volcanoes. While some of these activities were picked up all the way in Singapore, all were reported to aviation authorities.

Covered in Golden Dust: Learning to Survey Active Faults in Myanmar

In February 2017, scientists from the Earth Observatory of Singapore (EOS) led an earthquake geology training camp in Myanmar and Thailand. The course was designed to allow scientists to share their knowledge about active fault trenching and paleoseismology with geology students who may not have had prior field experience.

Geometry and Kinematics of the Main Frontal Thrust, Himalaya

This project aims to study the MFT and its associated fault splays by acquiring a densely-spaced set of high-resolution seismic reflection profiles across the fault tip in order to assess the geometry and kinematics of the fault.

Reducing Natural Disaster Risk Across Asia

Asia and the Pacific are most at risk from natural disasters, according to a report from the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction. More than 90 million people worldwide were affected by natural disasters in 2015. Asia is the world’s most disaster-prone continent, with 152 out of the 346 reported disasters worldwide. This isn’t surprising, given that it is both geologically active and the most populous region on Earth. In the last few decades, earthquakes,...

Kumamoto Earthquakes Reveal the Importance of Active Fault Studies in Sumatra and the Southeast Asian Region

Japan is known for its earthquakes and tsunami hazards due to the active collision involving three tectonic plates; the Philippine Sea plate, the Pacific plate and the Eurasian plate.

Sumatran Tectonic Geodesy (SuGAr)

SuGAr has been observing surface deformation in Sumatra since 2002. The long time series are now a treasure trove of interesting signals and questions, and are providing us with a great opportunity to examine changes in time and space in deformation patterns related to the Sumatra subduction zone. In the last few years we have installed a large number of new stations, all with various scientific questions in mind.