Helmholtz-Zentrum Potsdam Deutsches GeoForschungs-Zentrum (GFZ)
GFZ was founded in 1992 as the national research institution for geosciences in Germany and is ab initio member of the Helmholtz Association of National Research Centres. With currently more than 1100 staff GFZ combines all solid earth science fields including geodesy, geology, geophysics, mineralogy, palaeontology and geochemistry, in a multidisciplinary scientific and technical environment. Research is accomplished using a broad spectrum of methods, such as in-situ monitoring and observations, satellite geodesy and remote sensing, deep geophysical sounding, scientific drilling, and the experimental and numerical modelling of geo-processes. Understanding of fault processes and seismogenic hazards is a major area of research within GFZ, which is also at the forefront of developing international disaster management, risk reduction and hazard assessment methodologies and policies. In order to furnish its operations around the globe and in space, GFZ maintains massive scientific infrastructure and platforms, including observatories, and a modular Earth science infrastructure. Since its foundation GFZ had been involved in various earthquake research projects in Turkey, presently focusing on the Marmara region in the frame of the “Plate Boundary Observatory” initiative. GFZ has a relevant experience in coordinating and participating to international projects, e.g. GEISER, Geothermal Energy Integrating Mitigation of Induced Seismicity in Reservoirs (FP7-ENERGY-2009); CO2CARE, CO2 Site Closure Assessment Research (FP7-ENERGY-2010); GITEWS German Indonesian Tsunami Early Warning System Project; SAFER, Seismic Early Warning for Europe (FP6: ENV 6.3.IV.2.3); MATRIX, New Multi-Hazard and Multi-Risk Assessment Methods for Europe (FP7-ENV-2010); REAKT, Strategies and Tools for Real Earthquake Risk Reduction (FP7-ENV-2011).
GFZ will work on the following themes: Improvement of in-situ fluid measurement systems (WP2), geodetic monitoring of crustal deformation (WP3), microseismic monitoring of the eastern Marmara seismic gap (WP4), analysis of the response of near-surface geology to earthquake ground motion and its effects on masking source-related information derived from borehole data (WP4), simulation of earthquake/tsunami scenarios for the Marmara Sea region (WP5), improvement of rapid finite source inversion tools (WP5), and the development of new procedures for the real-time estimation of the effective shaking of a building (WP9).
