Projects

The middle crust is the site of several basic geological and geophysical phenomena: the transition from brittle to ductile behavior and from unstable to stable sliding friction; earthquake formation and prevailing moment release; the climax in the crust stress envelope; the transition from predominantly cataclastic to mylonitic fault rocks; and the mineralization associated with fracture permeability.

The Alpine Fault in New Zealand is a globally significant dextral thrust fault, releasing an earthquake magnitude 8 every 200 to 400 years. The last major earthquake occurred in 1717, 300 years ago. Before the next one of this kind will happen as expected in near future, the scientists want to collect as many information as possible about the prediction, development and further facts.