The primary scientific goal of the Central European Volcanic Province Observatory is to better understand and map the processes in transcrustal magma systems beneath distributed intraplate volcanic fields, and to assess their volcanic hazard and their potential sustainable use for energy generation and natural resource deposit.

Distributed volcanic fields, despite their latent hazard, show only weak precursors of volcanic unrest and magmatism, simply because they are controlled by magmatic systems distributed throughout the crust and into the upper mantle. As eruptions are generally rare, it is still difficult to classify the current hazard. All observational strategies therefore aim to detect small and possibly only local transient signals and trend changes and to correlate them between different data streams and sensor systems.

The aim of the CVO is to detect and evaluate the smallest transient signals in continental volcanic fields and intraplate deformation. Of particular interest is the combination of volcanic and tectonic micro-earthquakes, surface deformation and changes in the fluid system and volcanic gas emissions. This goal can only be achieved with innovative measurement concepts and the further development of sensor technologies. The volcanic fields of the Eifel and the earthquake swarm region of the Vogtland provide excellent conditions in the middle of Central Europe for such an approach.

Measurement methods, techniques and models developed and tested here can be used worldwide. We need to understand the effects of perturbations on our real-time monitoring stations and their corrections, which can also be used to study and forecast meteorological processes such as heavy rainfall. In the Eifel and the Vogtland, the permanent installations of the CVO, together with the measuring networks of the federal states concerned and the infrastructure build-up by two ICDP drilling programmes, provide a  continuously recording backbone. In addition, accompanying temporary experiments are being carried out to investigate specific questions.

The CVO is located in quaternary volcanic fields in central Europe, with focus on the Eifel and the Czech-German Border region (incl. Vogtland).

The CVO observatory is currently under construction. The data from the sensors and analyses will flow directly to the GFZ and be made available there. The CVO also works closely with university partners, state authorities and the Czech Academy of Sciences. The partners' data will be made available to the public via virtual networks.

In particular, the following continuous monitoring networks are to be realised by the GFZ:

• Consolidation of the existing geodetic satellite monitoring network by 24 real-time GNSS stations in the East Eifel and in the Vogtland earthquake swarm region.
• Installation of 6 experimental low-cost real-time GNSS stations for the measurement of smallest uplifts and transients in real time.
• Installation of 24 corner reflectors to improve the resolution of satellite-based radar analysis (InSAR)
• Installation of 12 seismic stations (incl. borehole stations and a 3D array) to improve the detection of tremors and volcanic micro-earthquakes
• Establishment of a continuous fluid monitoring network in the Eifel and the Vogtland, which also records isotopic and spectrochemical parameters

Seismic stations of the Large-N temporary network in the Eifel region (09.2022 – 08.2023) can be found under https://geofon.gfz-potsdam.de/waveform/archive/network.php?ncode=6E&year=2022 

Virtual network in the Vogtland / NW Bohemia region is registered under https://www.fdsn.org/networks/detail/1D_2023/