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.

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.

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.

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.

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.