NEW FRONTIERS OF RESEARCH | At INGV, the origins and development of earthquakes are explored

Il High Pressure – High Temperature Laboratory (INGV-HPHT) of the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) in Rome will participate in two prestigious Starting Grant projects funded by the European Research Council (ERC). 

The research will be conducted in collaboration with the University of Naples Federico II and the University of Padua, confirming the excellence of the INGV Laboratory at an international level. 

The first project, FORESEEING (From RupturE to Earthquake Early warING), proposed by Simona Colombelli, researcher of the Department of Physics of the University of Naples Federico II, aims to develop research on the signals that accompany the start, propagation and arrest phases of an earthquake, investigating the causes that determine the final size of the event, contributing to the improvement of seismic early warning systems. 

A new experimental apparatus will be dedicated to simulating and studying in the laboratory the processes of earthquake genesis. 

The second project, OMEN (Observing the Mechanisms of Earthquake Nucleation), conceived by Giacomo Pozzi, researcher of the Rome1 Section of the INGV and presented by the Department of Earth Sciences, University of Padua, aims to explore the mechanisms that cause the release of energy during earthquakes. Through the development of new technologies, scientists will be able to observe the preliminary phases of the seismic process, allowing them to analyze the phenomena of deformation and energy release on geological faults, from slow to faster movements associated with earthquakes. 

“OMEN” - explains Giacomo Pozzi - “represents a unique opportunity to open a window on the dynamics of earthquakes, creating the conditions for a direct and truly quantitative observation of seismogenic processes". 

The HPHT Laboratory of INGV is known for its pioneering role in Earth Science research, and its sector of rock mechanics and earthquakes has already obtained four ERC projects in the past. These new awards demonstrate the quality of the research conducted and the ability of the laboratory to develop cutting-edge technologies, which increase its visibility at the international level. 

The expected results of these projects will provide crucial information for the study of seismogenic processes, with a significant impact both on scientific research and on the management of seismic risk at a global level.