Bodies of rock move past each other on faults during an earthquake. Slip on one fault can increase the stress on others, thereby increasing the chance of a future earthquake. GPS-satellite observations measure the movement of the Earth’s surface in Sulawesi with high accuracy and show that such interaction took place following the devastating earthquake at Palu in 2018. We propose to focus and expand upon these observations in both space and time, and use new computer simulations to investigate this increase in stress, which is still poorly understood so far and paramount for correctly assessing seismic risk.

Earthquake slip is accompanied by substantial frictional heating which can activate numerous weakening mechanisms by raising the temperature of the fault gouge. Conversely, temperature anomalies observed across faults after large natural earthquakes have been used to infer the level of dynamic friction. Earthquake rupture models of slip on faults in the Groningen gas reservoir (NL) need to assume that frictional strength breaks down with accumulated slip but at present there is little constraint on the dynamic friction, how this might vary across the different lithologies and how it evolves with slip. Constraining both the level of dynamic friction as well as its variation with lithology requires a thorough understanding of the temperature rise that can occur during seismic slip. Here, we propose to investigate the effect of frictional heating on pore fluid pressure and flow to constrain how much heat is available to raise the temperature and cause dynamic weakening. We will use a laboratory-calibrated magnetic geothermometer to measure temperature anomalies both in experimental faults of Slochteren sandstone and of Ten Boer claystone as well as in samples from faults that outcrop in the U.K., as a natural analogue for the faults presently active in the Groningen gas field to constrain frictional heating in small slip events. Combined, these measurements will constrain the evolution of dynamic friction and temperature within fault rocks of the Groningen reservoir for small magnitude induced events.

De Hoe?Zo! Show is een project om betrokkenheid van kinderen bij wetenschap te vergroten en promovendi te trainen in wetenschapscommunicatie. Het project bestaat uit drie onderdelen: een lespakket voor groep 6, een opleiding wetenschapscommunicatie voor promovendi en een interactieve theatershow. Kinderen hebben veel vragen. In het lespakket leren zij wetenschappelijke vaardigheden om hun eigen vragen te kunnen beantwoorden. De kinderen leren hoe ze een goede vraag stellen, hoe ze informatie kunnen vinden en beoordelen, hoe ze een experiment kunnen doen en hoe ze informatie kunnen presenteren. Ook maken de kinderen kennis met jonge wetenschappers. Het lespakket is een voorbereiding op een bezoek aan de Hoe?Zo! Show waar zij hun vragen kunnen stellen aan promovendi. In de wetenschap ligt er steeds meer nadruk op vaardigheden om wetenschap te communiceren naar de maatschappij, maar de jonge generatie wordt hier nauwelijks in getraind. Voordat de promovendi meedoen aan de theatershow krijgen zij een tweedaagse training wetenschapscommunicatie. De nieuwe (academische) vaardigheden van de basisschoolleerlingen en de promovendi komen samen in de Hoe?Zo! Show: een interactieve spel-show, waarin leerlingen vragen mogen stellen aan promovendi uit diverse vakgebieden. De promovendi beantwoorden de vragen live op het podium en beelden de antwoorden uit met behulp van attributen.

The researcher unravel how changes in motions of tectonic plates may propagate across the planet in plate tectonic chain reactions. To this end, they reconstruct mountain belts from the Mediterranean region to Indonesia, and around the Pacific Ocean, determine the motions of these plates relative to the Earths mantle, and they model the driving forces behind plate motions.

Subsidence is a significant problem in the gas reservoir area of Groningen, affecting the environment, buildings, infrastructure, and water management. Reservoir depletion continues to cause subsidence, but there are also other, shallower geological processes that contribute significantly to the subsidence. Geodetic observations (InSAR, GPS, leveling) measure the total subsidence. In this research project, we collaborate to determine the individual contributions to the geodetic time series. We develop a novel model to forecast subsidence, answering questions such as the duration of subsidence after gas production cessation and its magnitude.