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

北方德国通常被认为是低地震活动的地区，但在过去的1200年中，该地区发生了一些强度高达VII的历史地震，这些地震表明发生了重大的地震事件。在拟议的项目中，我们的目标是改进的阿勒断层系统，这是北方德国的主要故障系统之一的分析。拟议的项目有两个主要目标。第一个是分析阿勒断层系统的近地表断层结构在两个选定的位置。第二个目标是调查研究区的沉积物厚度分布，并调查局部较厚的沉积物堆积是否受断层活动的驱动，从而代表小断层控制的盆地，其中Eemian沉积物局部保存。在拟议项目的框架内，我们计划在萨克森的Hämelhausen和Lehringen附近的两个地点采集几个剪切波和P波反射地震剖面和一个GPR剖面网格。我们将调查如何密切分支的阿勒故障系统达到地球表面，如果阿勒故障系统是新构造活动。预期的结果将提供对中欧北方板内断层系统近地表结构的新见解，并将提高对新构造断层活动时间的认识，这可能有助于未来的概率地震危险性分析。此外，该项目将有助于解决Eemian沉积中心的起源以及与这些小型盆地有关的重要旧石器时代考古遗址的形成。

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.