Current Projects

Project duration: 2010 - present
The main goal of BRINE is to develop an early warning system for expansion of CO₂ and possible upward movement of saline groundwater and additionally to develop a coupled numeric model to identify the driving forces of saltwater migration in deep geological formations. 

Research on Climate, Water and Solid Earth at the Dead Sea
 

Project duration: 2010 -present
The electrical conductivity structure of the Archean Barberton Greenstone Belt, South Africa, is imaged to better understand its Early Earth tectonic evolution.

Main aim of the experiment is the investigation of the local seismicity (distribution and kinematics) within the Fergana basin and the Southern Tien Shan in Southern Kirgistan. This will be achieved by installing a temporary local seismic network in 2009 and 2010.

Black shales are organic-rich sedimentary rocks, which potentially may serve as sources to generate hydrocarbons but also as unconventional reservoirs. Geophysical studies (seismics, MT) are carried out to investigate the elastic and electrical properties of black shales. The activities include field experiments in Lower Saxony and Bornholm, accompanied by petrophysical measurements at core material.

Project duration: 2008-present
The research in GeoEn concentrates on energy production of fossil and renewable geo-resources. Technologies and solutions include CO2 capture and storage, unconventional gas resources and geothermal energy. Understanding the complexity of the underlying geological systems requires a wide spectrum of geo-scientific methodologies. 

The Helmholtz-Alberta-Initiative (HAI) is a joint Canadian-German research programme with special focus on georessources, energy development and environmental sustainability. One sub-project deals with the geothermal potential of the Alberta basin. Our contribution builds on a re-processing of pre-existing seismic reflection data measured within the LITHOPROBE programme.

The project seeks to establish the causes (mantle dynamics, continental structure, plate boundary forces), and some of the consequences (sedimentation style, opening of oceanic gateways, post-rift magmatism, oceanic plateaux formation) of continental breakup. From this a model for the break-up of central Gondwana, and effectively the birth of the African continent sensu stricto, will be established. This can serve as model for the break-up of supercontinents in general. 

Project duration: 2006 - present
The objective of the MT part of the observatory is to monitor and analyse electromagnetic data to decipher possible changes in the subsurface electrical resistivity distribution. After elimination of a geomagnetic source field effect which strongly affects the measurements, we examine remaining temporal electromagnetic field variations. 

The main aim of the Longmenshan project is to study the structure and seismicity in the vicinity of the Longmenshan fault, which forms part of the eastern border of the Tibet plateau in China.

Project duration: 2010 - present
The electrical conductivity of the subsurface can be explored using a variety of techniques. In the framework of the Multi-EM project we focus on the natural source magnetotellurics (MT), controlled source electromagnetics (CSEM), DC resistivity method and transient electromagnetics (TEM).
 

A joint German-Indonesian research programme is focussing on technology and capacity building to support the geothermal energy development in Indonesia. The exploration research team investigates the exemplary geothermal region of Sipoholon (northern Sumatra). A wide range of methods such as structural geology, seismology, magnetotellurics and near-surface seismics is applied in an integrated approach to explore the geothermal potential and to derive a conceptual model of the target region.

The South Atlantic and its conjugate rifted margins is a key site to study the whole spectrum of phenomena related to continental breakup and passive margin formation. It is an ideal natural laboratory on which to focus research. The newly funded SPP 1375 will establish a coordinated research program on passive margin processes by the German geoscience community. While focused on the South Atlantic research within the SPP will be process-oriented and the programme wlll maintain a global perspective through comparative studies and exchange with other key regions, most notably the Central and North Atlantic.

In the area of the former airport Berlin-Tempelhof/Germany a vibroseismic pilot study to test feasibility and limits of seismic exploration in the heart of a mega city with its enormous noise background was successfully conducted. New high-resolutional images of local subsurface structures were achieved down to 4 km depth as well as valuable findings with respect to necessary field and processing techniques and corresponding parameters for possible future intra-urban surveys in the presence of high noise, coverage irregularities and safety requirements.