Analysis of the near-surface structure of the Aller fault system (SAFETY)

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Northern Germany is commonly regarded as an area of low seismicity, but a number of historic earthquakes with intensities of up to VII occurred in this region during the last 1200 years that point to significant seismic events. In the proposed project, we aim for an improved analysis of the Aller fault system, which is one of the major fault systems in northern Germany. The proposed project has two main objectives. The first one is to analyse the near-surface fault structure of the Aller fault system at two selected locations. The second objective is to investigate the sediment thickness distribution in the study area and to investigate whether locally thicker sediment accumulations are driven by fault activity, thus representing small fault-controlled basins in which Eemian sediments are locally preserved. Within the frame of the proposed project, we plan to acquire several shear-wave and P-wave reflection seismic profiles and a grid of GPR profiles at the two locations near Hämelhausen and Lehringen in Lower Saxony. We will investigate how close branches of the Aller fault system reach the Earth’s surface and if the Aller fault system was neotectonically active. The anticipated results will deliver new insights into the near-surface structure of an intraplate fault system in northern Central Europe and will improve knowledge about the timing of neotectonic fault activity, which may support future probabilistic seismic hazard analysis. Furthermore, the project will help to solve the origin of the Eemian depocentres and the formation of important Paleolithic archaeological sites that are related to these mini-basins.