Scientists are triggering earthquakes in Swiss Alps. Here's why
What's the story
A team of scientists is deliberately causing minor earthquakes in a tunnel deep beneath the Swiss Alps. The effort is part of their research under the Fault Activation and Earthquake Rupture (FEAR) project, aimed at understanding the immediate triggers of these natural phenomena. The researchers want to know why some earthquakes impact larger sections of fault lines and cause more destruction than others.
Research site
Alps: A unique location for earthquake research
The scientists have chosen the Swiss Alps as their research site because of its complex fault systems. These mountains are a product of millions of years of tectonic activity, resulting in a zigzag network of scars deep within. The team is creating earthquakes by injecting water into one such fault line, much like oil and gas companies do to reduce friction between faults with wastewater from wells.
Research objectives
Goal: Understanding earthquake triggers and fault behavior
The ultimate goal of this research is to better understand the signs that precede an earthquake. "What are the signs that nature is telling us?" said Domenico Giardini, a seismology and geodynamics professor at ETH Zurich. He added, "Invariably, they become clear after the quake, not before." The team has set up a vast network of seismometers and accelerometers on the fault to study its movements and record data when friction is reduced.
Experiment results
Researchers have triggered hundreds of thousands of quakes
So far, the researchers have triggered hundreds of thousands of earthquakes, with those triggered so far measuring a magnitude of zero. They plan to raise this to one by March. The next step in their research is to inject hot water into the fault line and observe how temperature affects earthquake evolution. This study will help identify potential triggers for earthquakes of different magnitudes and assess which faults pose more risk than others.