Researchers will induce a small controlled tremor underground to observe pre quake signals and rock behavior. The test aims to reveal early warning clues.
In Switzerland, scientists plan to launch an experiment to create artificial earthquakes at the BedrettoLab underground laboratory, located in southern Ticino.
The BedrettoLab laboratory serves as a platform for ETH Zurich research focused on seismic processes and the prospects for predicting earthquakes.
For several days, scientists have been pumping water into the fault line between two rock layers inside BedrettoLab, located in the former construction gallery of the Furka tunnel.
The aim of the experiment is to shift rock masses and trigger a controlled artificial earthquake for analysis of rock behavior and waves under stable conditions.
Procedure and expected pressure range
Researchers carefully increase the pressure until a magnitude of about 1 is recorded or until the rock has taken in about 2,000 cubic meters of water.
According to preliminary risk assessments, an earthquake of magnitude 1 is unlikely to cause significant damage, but in the local area, very minor damage is possible.
Significant tunnel damage is expected only at a magnitude of 2.5, the probability of this is about 1%.
According to the researchers, the probability that the earthquake will cause damage outside the Bedretto tunnel is estimated at 1 in 10,000.
During the actual test, which is triggered remotely from Zurich, there will be no people in the tunnel.
Research objectives and future implications
By conducting measurements directly at the earthquake focus, scientists aim to answer fundamental questions: what happens immediately before an earthquake and what factors lead to the end of such an event.
It is expected that the data obtained will help improve earthquake forecasts, for which there are currently no reliable methods of prediction, even after decades of research.
The experiment requires strict supervision and adherence to all safety standards, but its results could open new directions in seismic research and broaden the understanding of how subsurface processes relate to the emergence of earthquakes.