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LIAG / Institute / Research Departments / Geophysical exploration / Research Group Structures 

Research Group Structures

Our Research Group carries out research regarding the application of seismics, gravimetrics, and magnetics methods, as well as the complementary inclusion of structural geological analysis of the upper part of the Earth's crust: its structure, the processes creating and modifying the crust, as well as the critical geophysical parameters for these processes.

Research

The Research Group is dedicated to the development and application of geophysical methods − in particular seismic, gravimetric, and magnetic methods − as well as structural geological methods, and their integration, as the basis for structural and process-oriented interpretation.
The Research Group is dedicated to the development and application of geophysical methods − in particular seismic, gravimetric, and magnetic methods − as well as structural geological methods, and their integration, as the basis for structural and process-oriented interpretation.

The research is concerned with the development and application of seismic, gravimetric and magnetic methods as well as the complementary integration of structural geological analyses in order to achieve the best possible exploration results. Current applications are geohazards, for example active fault systems and ground subsidence due to subrosion/karst, georeservoirs, currently the development of utilization concepts for geothermal energy, natural hydrogen and the search for a final storage site, and groundwater in the sense of improved exploration of hydrogeologically relevant structures.

The working group uses various modern methods to investigate the geological subsurface:

  • Shear wave and multi-component reflection seismics enable detailed insights into the elastic parameters of the subsurface by “sounding” the subsurface using elastic waves and provide a high-resolution image of the geological structures. Seismic sources and measurement technology developed in-house, such as the patented electrodynamic micro-vibrator (ELVIS), are also used.
     
  • Gravimetry and magnetics use anomalies in the Earth's gravitational field and magnetic field to explore tectonic and geological structures, but increasingly also to gain a better understanding of underground processes. Traditional magnetometers and gravimeters are used for this purpose, as well as innovative devices such as a quantum gravimeter.
     
  • Strukturanalysen & Deformationsmodellierungen mittels numerischer und analoger Verfahren nutzen insbesondere die aus der Reflexionsseismik und aus Bohrungen gewonnen strukturellen Informationen wie interpretierte Horizonte und Störungen, um die Deformationsgeschichte eines Gebietes abzuleiten.
     
  • Geophysikalische Modellierungs- und Inversionsverfahren kombinieren anschließend die geophysikalischen und geologischen Daten, um eine detaillierte Rekonstruktion geologischer Strukturen und Prozesse zu ermöglichen.

 

Selected current projects

  • E4Geo Details Geothermics Saxony (LFULG)
  • OGER Details Optimised groundwater exploration - development of tools to secure groundwater resources (DBU)
  • GeoMetEr Details Evaluation of combinations of ground- and airborne geophysical methods as a contribution to future site investigation (BGE) 
  • REgine Details Geophysical-geological based reservoir engineering for deep-seated carbonates
  • DOVE - Drilling Overdeepened Alpine Valleys Details Glacially overdeepened Alpine valleys as climate archives (ICDP)
  • The Brenner base tunnel (BBT) natural laboratory Details From cross-section construction over fabric and elastic anisotropy analysis to 4D structural modeling (DFG)
  • Structural characterization and dating of an active strike-slip fault that passes from bedrock into unconsolidated sediments (DFG)
  • Seismic crosshole tomography as contribution to understand sedimentation processes in glacially-overdeepened valleys Details (DFG)
  • The neotectonic evolution of the Osning Lineament derived from near-surface reflection seismic data Details (DFG)
  • HyAfrica - Towards a next-generation renewable energy source – a natural hydrogen solution for power supply in Africa Details (BMBF / Horizon 2020 via LEAP-RE)

Recent Publications

  • RIGTERINK, S., KOTRYS, B., HEIN, M., LI, X., RAHIMZADEH, N., GRUSZCZYNSKA. A-. WEISS, M., URBAN, B., TANNER, D.C., LAUER, T. & SCHWALB, A. (2026): Chironomid-based summer temperature reconstruction of the Eemian–Weichselian transition at Lichtenberg, northern Germany. - BOREAS. https://doi.org/10.1111/bor.70059  

  • ARGANTE, V., TSUKAMOTO, S., TANNER, D.C., VON HAGKE, C., BRANDES, C., ZHANG, J., BOUSCARY, C. & GLITZBACH, C. (2026): Electron Spin Resonance Thermochronometry Indicates Quaternary Activity of the Brenner Fault (Eastern Alps). – Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 27(3): 2025GC012484. https://doi.org/10.1029/2025GC012484

  • AL-AGHBARY, M., SOBH, M., STÅL, T., AWALEH. M.O., JALLUDIN, M. & GERHARDS, C. (2026): Uncertainty Quantification using Clustering-based Quantile Regression Forests: With an Application to Improving Geothermal Heat Flow Predictions. – Geophysical Journal International: ggag113. https://doi.org/10.1093/gji/ggag113.

  • KHALILI, M., BRODIC, B., GÖRANSSON, P., HEINONEN, S., HESTHAVEN, J.S., PASANEN, A., VAUHKONEN, M., YADAV, R. & LÄHIVAARA, T. (2026): Monitoring of water volume in a porous reservoir using seismic data: Validation of a numerical model with a field experiment. - Near Surface Geophysics, 24(2): 110-129.  https://doi.org/10.1002/nsg.70038

  • HAGGAG, M., SOBH, M., SOHA, H., HEGAB, M.H., SHEBL, A. & GHAZALA, H.H. (2026): Modeling of the Arabian/Nubian shield’s geothermal structure: a multi-parametric analysis using geophysical and geological tools. - Scientific Reports, 16(1): 1627. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-33846-2

  • BURSCHIL, T., KÖHN, D., KÖRBE, M., GABRIEL, G.,GROSSMANN, J., FIRLA, G. & FIEBIG, M. (2025): Seismic data acquisition for combining high-resolution seismic reflection and full-waveform inversion – a case study for overdeepened valleys​. - Solid Earth, 16(12): 1493-1507. https://doi.org/10.5194/se-16-1493-2025.

  • GAO, Y., LIU, S., CHEN, R., LI, Z., WU, X., MA, W., LUO, Y., WANG, Y., DING, X., LI, X., LANGMI, H. W., MUSYOKA, N. M., JIANG, L., CHRISTIANSEN, R. & WENG, G.-M. (2025): Natural Hydrogen: A Mini-Review Unveiling Its Potential as a Key to Sustainable Future for Energy. - EcoEnergy, 3(4): e70026.  https://doi.org/10.1002/ece2.70026.

  • SU, Y., WU, S., SUN, J., WU, X., HUANG, Y., CHEN, J., LU, L., WEI, X. & CHRISTIANSEN, R. (2025): Natural hydrogen exploration by joint sparse inversion of geophysical measurements and integrated geological interpretation. - International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 173: 151040. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2025.151040.

  • SCHALLER, S., SCHUSTER, B., BERAUS, S., BUECHI, M., BUNESS, H. & ANSELMETTI, F. (2025): Seismic- and core-based glacial sequence stratigraphy in an overdeepened trough in the northern Alpine foreland of Switzerland. - Swiss Journal of Geosciences 118, 13 (2025). doi: 10.1186/s00015-025-00481-y.

  • BERAUS, S., KÖHN, D., BOHLEN, T., BURSCHIL, T., SCHUSTER, B., BUNESS, H. & GABRIEL, G. (2025): Seismic crosshole full-waveform inversion of high-frequency SV-waves for glacial sediment characterization. Geophysical Prospecting, 73, 1587-1605. doi: 10.1111/1365-2478.70024

All publications

Publications at LIAG

 

Head of Department Geophysical Exploration

Research Group Structures:

Professor Dr Gerald Gabriel

+49 511 643-3510

Team

Employees

 

Technical equipment

Overview