Despite intensive research, scientists cannot predict when and where the next major earthquake will occur. A consortium of scientists from ETH Zurich, RWTH Aachen University and the Instituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia in Italy, want to better understand the physics of earthquake processes with their ERC Synergy project Fault Activation and Earthquake Rupture (FEAR).
The BedrettoLab offers a unique research environment for FEAR. The researchers will attempt to generate an earthquake rupture with a length of 10-100m (magnitude ~1.0), under controlled conditions and at a depth of more than one kilometre. They will use a dense network of various sensor types to monitor both the rupture preparation phase, as well as the rupture process itself, with great detail and from close up. The consortium hopes to gain a better understanding of earthquake dynamics. The new findings will also be used to advance experiments on the safe use of geoenergy and to improve the predictability of earthquakes.
Domenico Giardini, Stefan Wiemer