Bedretto Underground Laboratory for Geosciences and Geoenergies
The BedrettoLab (Bedretto Underground Laboratory for Geosciences and Geoenergies) is a unique research infrastructure run by ETH Zurich making it possible to take a close look at the Earth’s interior. It is located in the Swiss Alps 1.5 kilometres below the surface and in the middle of a 5.2 kilometres long tunnel connecting the Ticino with the Furka railway tunnel.
Equipped with the latest technology, the BedrettoLab offers ideal conditions to conduct experimental research focusing on the behaviour of the deep underground when accessing and stimulating it. Such an access is required to advance scientific knowledge in various domains including geothermal energy and earthquake physics. It is also of relevance to develop novel techniques and sensors for these purposes.
2024-12-02
News & Science Report 2024 now available
Two reports summarizing the scientific activities of our BedrettoLab team from 2023 to 2024 are now available for download. The News Report offers an overview of the various projects, the progress of the new side tunnel construction, and events organized by our team, including students, researchers, technicians, and administrative staff.
The Science Report focuses on the scientific advancements, providing a summary of the posters presented at conferences and meetings during the same period.
2024-11-21
New paper
Seismicity in the BedrettoLab during hydraulic stimulations
A recently published study investigates induced seismicity during hydraulic stimulations at 1.1 km depth in the BedrettoLab, Switzerland, to better understand seismic behavior in enhanced geothermal systems.
Using an ultra-high frequency seismic network, the researchers detected seismic events as small as Mw < −4, revealing a complex fracture network extending over 100 meters from the injection sites. The analysis shows significant variability in the affected rock volume, ranging from a few meters to over 150 meters, and identifies multiple reactivated fractures. Seismic events typically propagate upward along planes aligned with the stress field and pre-existing fractures. The results highlight the diversity in seismic behavior, which is not solely dependent on the injection protocol, and confirm that multi-stage stimulations with zonal isolation can create a large, 3D fracture network essential for enhanced geothermal systems. The findings also offer insights into upscaling induced seismicity from laboratory to field scale.
Link to paper:
Obermann, A., Rosskopf, M., Durand, V., Plenkers, K., Bröker, K., Rinaldi, A. P., et al. (2024). Seismic response of hectometer-scale fracture systems to hydraulic stimulation in the Bedretto underground laboratory, Switzerland. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 129, e2024JB029836. https://doi.org/10.1029/2024JB029836