Projects
Active Projects
- Cogear
- CTI
- Microzoning in Basel Area
- Neries
- PRP
- SSM Network Renewal
- SNF 2011 (hazard) Project
- Swiss Experiment
Past joint Projects
- Global Seismic Hazard Assessment Program (GSHAP)
- Unified Seismic Hazard Modelling throughout the Mediterranean Region (SESAME)
- Slow Active Faults in Europe (SAFE)
- Site Effects Assessment Using Ambient Excitations (SESAME)
Homepage
COGEAR Project Website
Coupled seismogenic geohazards in alpine regions
COGEAR is an interdisciplinary natural hazards project investigating the hazard chain induced by earthquakes. It addresses tectonic processes and the related variability of seismicity in space and time, earthquake forecasting and short-term precursors, and strong ground motion as a result of source and complex path effects. We study non-linear wave propagation phenomena, liquefaction and triggering of landslides in soils and rocks, as well as earthquake-induced snow avalanches. The Valais, and in particular parts of the Rhone, Visper and Matter valleys have been selected as study areas. Tasks include detailed field investigations, development and application of numerical modelling techniques, assessment of the susceptibility to seismically induced effects and installation of different monitoring systems to test and validate our models. These systems are for long-term operation and include a continuous GPS and seismic networks, a test installation for observing earthquake precursors, and a system to study site-effects and non-linear phenomena in two test areas (Visp, St. Niklaus-Randa). Risk-related aspects of impacts on buildings and lifelines are also considered.
COGEAR is supported by the Competence Center for Environment and Sustainability (CCES) of ETH Zurich. Information is available from the project Website
Hydrocarbon reservoir detection by interpretation of microtremor wavefields on large arrays
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Reservoir detection
Hydrocarbon-bearing geological structures might cause characteristic modifications of the ambient vibration background noise. This question is adressed in a project supported by the Commission for Technology and Innovation (CTI) together with the company SpectraSeis. The link between observations and geological structure can only be made by understanding the wavefield that is recorded. This requires the simultaneous recording and analysis of ambient vibration wave-fields on arrays. Such methods have been developed in the past, and they have been applied to study soft-sediment surface deposits for seismic hazard analysis.
The analysis of all three components of ground motion is addressed. Analysis of such recordings targets to distinguish between standing waves (global resonances) and propagating surface waves (Love- and Rayleigh-waves) as well as body waves (SH and PSV). By adapting array configurations during the measurements in the field, the identification of the wave-types with the corresponding propagation velocity and direction is optimized and allows to determine the source region of the waves and their possible origin. From the wave characteristics, structural information can be inverted that allows to improve structural models. The development of a real-time system for array measurements is part of the project.
SEISMIC MICROZONING IN THE BASEL AREA
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Seismic
Microzoning in the Basel Area
For the city
of Basel, a qualitative microzonation was performed in 2007. The
zonation was mainly based mainly on the properties of the quaternary
sediments. This triggered a study that provided a quantitative
assessment of ground motion amplification in order to determine which
levels of amplifications have to be taken into account a
site-specific hazard assessment in the Basel area. It is the result
of two large projects, the ETH project “Earthquake scenarios for
Switzerland” (1997-2002) and the INTERREG project “Seismic
Microzonation in the upper Rhine Graben area” (2003-3006) (Fäh end
Huggenberger, 2006). Earthquakes in the Basel region triggered the
strong motion network in Basel and provided a data set for
comparison. Spectral ratios from recordings confirm the results of
the microzonation study. Finally uniform hazard spectra were derived
for each zone by combining the hazard on rock with the amplification
functions.
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NERIES
Homepage
NERIES Project Website
NERIES is an Integrated Infrastructure Initiative (I3) project in the Sixth Framework Program (FP6) of the European Commission (EC), aiming at networking the European seismic networks, improving access to data, allowing access to specific seismic infrastructures and pursuing targeted research developing the next generation of tools for improved service and data analysis.
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PEGASOS REFINEMENT PROJECT
In the 1990s the Swiss Federal Nuclear Safety Inspectorate (HSK) identified the need to update the seismic hazard assessments for Swiss NPPs and in 1998 asked the Swiss NPP operators to draw up a new hazard study that would comply with SSHAC level 4 (SSHAC, 1997) requirements. Nagra (the National Co-operative for the Disposal of Radioactive Wastes) was commissioned to plan, organize and perform such a study – the PEGASOS project (Probabilistische Erdbeben-Gefährdungs-Analyse für KKW-Standorte in der Schweiz). The project involved more than 20 experts from seven European countries, with support provided by 25 Swiss and foreign specialists and consultants. The project was completed in the summer of 2004.
In 2008 the “PEGASOS Refinement Project” was launched in order to address potential refinements. As part of this project the SED was commissioned to provide input and to develop specific products:
- A revision and update of the Earthquake Catalogue of Switzerland (ECOS-09)
- Earthquake source studies related recent earthquakes
- Determination of site information for seismic stations in Switzerland
- New Swiss stochastic ground motion prediction equation
- Finite-fault near-source broadband ground-motion simulation
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SSM Network Renewal
The project started in 2009 with the final goal of installing some 100 new accelerometric stations within 8 years. The project is monitored and supervised by a steering committee headed by the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN).
(Source and site-effect studies for probabilistic seismic hazard assessment in Switzerland)
The project includes the work of two PhD researchers and addresses selected problems, related to source characterization (PhD Falko Bethmann) and site-effect assessment (PhD Valerio Poggi). In the first PhD project scaling relations between small and large earthquakes are developed and the potential impact of such scaling relations on estimating maximum near-fault ground motions is studied. In the second PhD project a new method to analyze three components ambient vibration array recordings is developed that allows retrieving the ellipticity functions of the different Rayleigh-wave modes from the three-component noise wave-field. A combination of passive ambient vibration methods with active-source techniques improves resolution of array measurements for site-characterization at higher frequency. For the most common soil classes in Switzerland generic amplification functions are developed that serve as input for site-specific seismic hazard assessment.
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Swiss experiment
Swiss Experiment, or SwissEx is an attempt to enable effective real-time environmental monitoring through wireless sensor networks and a common, modern, generic cyber-infrastructure. This infrastructure will be used to work efficiently and collaboratively in finding the key mechanisms in the triggering of natural hazards and efficiently distribute the information to increase public awareness. Swiss Experiment consists of two distinct work packages:
- Development of innovative hardware and software technologies and their implementation for collaborative environmental research.
- Use of novel hardware and software technologies to enable improved hazard warning the driving motivation behind
SwissEx is to provide a common, cross-disciplinary platform where data and metadata from all disciplines at a variety of temporal and spatial resolutions are accessible. New technologies allowing high spatial and temporal resolution measurements are also actively developed within the project such that small areas can be intensely monitored where the cost of such measurements has previously been prohibitive. SwissEx is supported by the Competence Center for Environment and Sustainability (CCES) of ETH Zurich.
