New Gorge Formed: Padang, West Sumatra

The landscape of the planet has been formed and reformed since the beginning of time by various earth forces and in particular, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. In Sumatra the famous Sianok Gorge was created by an earthquake.

The Sianok is part of Sumatra’s rift valley that runs the full length of the island. At the area of Sianok Canyon it is 15 kilometres long and 100 metres deep making it the ‘grand canyon’ of Indonesia, in the depths of the gorge a winding river meanders through the countryside.

And now, a new gorge has been formed resulting from last week’s earthquake according to Syofiardi Bachyul Jb:

A new three-kilometer long gorge, similar to the famous Sianok Gorge in Bukittinggi, has been formed in the wake of last week’s earthquake in West Sumatra.

The gorge is located at Jorong Batu Lipai, Tanah Datar regency, some 90 kilometers north of Padang.

Bustami Sidi Sutan, a local resident, said a succession of five hills in the area were slit open during the March 6 temblor.

“There was a thunderous sound and the hills started to part. I was so scared. The low-lying paddy fields and streams were covered in debris,” said the 50-year-old man.

The hills are visibly white, with the rock core now being exposed.
A small hut which previously sat squarely on the top of one of the hills now finds itself dangerously close to the gorge’s edge. Many paddy fields and plantations have been lost.

However, farmers in the surrounding area whose land has not been affected by the new gorge have begun to return to their fields.

The coordinator of the West Sumatra Geologists Association, Ade Edward, said the new gorge was similar to Sianok. According to him, even the rock sediment is similar.

Both gorges are located on what he called the Semangko crack running through Sumatra.

“The formation of the gorge is evidence of the two tectonic plates that split Sumatra,” Ade explained.

This new gorge will definitely be an attraction in the area and it shouldn’t be long before local entrepreneurs cash-in on the tourists. Next time I am in Sumatra I am going to have a look at this new gorge and see how it would rival the Sianok as a tourist attraction.