Researchers successfully trigger ‘controlled earthquake’ in southern Switzerland
Researchers have made the earth to shake in the Gotthard massif in Ticino for the first time.
The experiment was very successful, according to the RWTH Aachen University of Germany, which was involved in the experiment. Over several days, scientists pumped highly pressurised water into a natural fracture zone in the Bedrettolab.
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The (Bedretto Underground Laboratory for Geosciences and Geoenergies) is a unique research infrastructure run by the Swiss federal technology institute ETH Zurich that makes 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.
The aim of the experiment was to trigger controlled stress changes in the rock and thus generate microquakes in a targeted manner. They have now succeeded in doing just that. A whole series of small tremors, some just below magnitude 0, were recorded. The tremors were not felt on the earth’s surface.
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The art of earthquakes
Hundreds of highly sensitive sensors were placed in the immediate vicinity of the fault. The signals obtained were “incredible”, explained project manager Florian Amann from RWTH Aachen University. They provided a unique insight into the physics of earthquakes.
Adapted from German by AI/ac
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