Our study investigates the statistical relationship between geological fractures and earthquakes in the southwestern Swiss Alps. We analyze how the fracture size and earthquake rupture are related and find differences in how fractures at different depths rupture seismically. While shallow fractures tend to rupture only partially, deeper fractures are more likely to rupture along their entire length, potentially resulting in larger earthquakes.

The vast Cenozoic arc magmatism of Iran introduced three distinct rock series. The LILE (large-ion lithophile elements)-rich and LILE-poor series show signatures of fluid-rich and fluid-poor slab-melt mantle metasomatism, furnished by hot slab subduction. The slab was more hydrated in the northern segment of the study area, where the LILE-rich series dominates. The third series rich in incompatible trace elements, the ITE-rich series, indicates the input of asthenosphere as well.

We address the transition between the Paleozoic Variscan and Alpine Mesozoic–Cenozoic cycles using tectono-stratigraphy and thermochronology. This transition unfolds through a multi-phase rifting history. An initial rifting stage occurred in the early Permian, followed in the early–middle Permian by a phase of transcurrent tectonics. This was succeeded by a period of erosion/non-deposition in the middle Permian. Crustal stretching in the Middle Triassic marked the onset of the Alpine cycle.

Subduction zones feature a large elevation difference between the deep oceanic trench and the high mountains on land, which causes stress in the upper plate. We investigate how the topographic stress affects the aftershock seismicity of large subduction earthquakes using analytical and numerical stress models. We show that topographic stress has a large influence on aftershock seismicity and promoted most of the seismicity after the Tohoku-Oki (Japan) and Maule (Chile) earthquakes.

We revised the conceptual model of the Solfatara magmatic–hydrothermal system and used new geothermometers and geobarometers, specifically calibrated for the Solfatara fluids, to monitor temperature, T, and total fluid pressure, P, in three distinct reservoirs at different depths, over ~40 years. The T and P changes in the intermediate reservoir (at 2.7–4 km depth) are of utmost interest because its pressurization–depressurization acts as the “engine” of bradyseism currently affecting the area.

This study demonstrates that for slow earthquakes in the shallow Nankai subduction zone, (1) the seismic velocity reductions in the accretionary prism reflect the stress field changes due to the slow earthquakes, and (2) the temporal variations in the heterogeneous structure correspond to upward fluid migrations from the source region of the slow earthquakes.

In this manuscript, we investigated the kinematics and dynamics of strike-slip damage zones using laboratory mechanical tests and analogue modelling techniques. The results underline the importance of a multi-scale approach (from crustal to outcrop-scale) to improve the understanding of such deformation processes, deriving fundamental correlations with the physical and mechanical properties of the model materials applied in the experiments.

Obtaining reliable estimates of the subsurface state distributions is essential to determine the location of, e.g., potential nuclear waste disposal sites. However, providing these is challenging since it requires solving the problem numerous times, yielding high computational cost. To overcome this, we use a physics-based machine learning method to construct surrogate models. We demonstrate how it produces physics-preserving predictions, which differentiates it from purely data-driven approaches.

This study examines the evolution of the Harlik Mountains in the eastern Tian Shan. Low-relief surfaces were formed by the Early Cretaceous erosion and subsequent tectonic stability. Later fault activity segmented these surfaces, with uplift and tilting in the Cenozoic driven by tectonic reactivation. These findings provide insights into how landscapes evolve in response to geological and environmental changes over millions of years.

One of the main numerical methods in geodynamics is the finite element method. Many types of elements have been used in the past decades in hundreds of publications. They usually fall under two categories: quadrilaterals and triangles. For the first time we compare results obtained with the most-used elements of each type on a series of geodynamical benchmarks and draw conclusions as to which are the best ones and which are to be preferably avoided.

Seismic noise from wind farms can disturb nearby sensitive instruments. We examine the noise of Italy's largest wind farm, located near the proposed site for the third-generation gravitational wave detector. We find that seismic noise is considerable and can be detected up to 13 km distance. Seismic sensors placed at ∼ 250 m depth confirm an excellent level of noise suppression; however, small disturbances in the recorded spectra are detectable when the wind park operates at full capacity.

We investigate geophysical properties and the distribution of vertical stress, which is defined by the weight of the rock column above a certain location in the subsurface, in the upper 5 km of the North Alpine Foreland Basin in Germany. Our results help us to understand the present-day geological configuration and to improve safety for subsurface use, such as deep geothermal energy production in the study area.

Three 2D seismic profiles were acquired in the Thinia valley, an isthmus connecting the main part of the island to the Paliki peninsula, to improve the subsurface knowledge of the tectonically peculiar Kefalonia island. Here the presence of a possible channel has been largely disputed in ongoing investigations for the possible location of Homer’s Ithaca. Results from different analyses further constrain the recent tectonic history of the area and thus the long-debated presence of a historic water channel in the valley.

We obtain the highest-resolution three-dimensional P-wave attenuation model in the China Seismic Experimental Site to date. The P-wave attenuation value anomalies along large fault zones, some basin areas, and the Tengchong volcanic area are low, reflecting the high degree of medium fragmentation in these areas with thick sedimentary layers or rich in fluids.