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

德国北部通常被认为是一个低地震活动性的地区，但在过去的1200年里，该地区发生了一些历史上强度高达7级的地震，这些地震表明了重大的地震事件。在提议的项目中，我们的目标是对德国北部主要断层系统之一的Aller断层系统进行改进分析。拟议的项目有两个主要目标。首先分析了阿勒断系在两个选定位置的近地表断裂结构。第二个目标是研究研究区域的沉积物厚度分布，并研究局部较厚的沉积物堆积是否受到断层活动的驱动，从而代表了局部保存Eemian沉积物的小型断层控制盆地。在拟议的项目框架内，我们计划在下萨克森州Hämelhausen和Lehringen附近的两个地点获取几个横波和p波反射地震剖面和探地雷达剖面网格。我们将研究阿勒断层系统的分支到达地球表面的距离有多近，以及阿勒断层系统是否具有新构造活动。预期的结果将为中欧北部板内断层系统的近地表结构提供新的见解，并将提高对新构造断层活动时间的认识，这可能支持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相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.