Near Fault Observatories (NFO) are multidisciplinary research infrastructures collecting innovative data and observations aimed at understanding the physics of faulting and the preparatory phase of earthquakes.
Earthquakes occur on faults, which are zones of weakness in the Earth’s crust that suddenly break and move due to the accumulated tectonic stress. Understanding the mechanics of earthquakes and faulting requires the collection of high-quality data through multidisciplinary monitoring networks and observing systems. The NFOs are designed to collect and integrate scientific data and observations to unravel the anatomy of complex seismogenic faults and their mechanics.
The Thematic Core Service (TCS) Near-Fault Observatories (TCS-NFO) coordinates the integration of near-fault data and scientific products collected by eight NFOs located in Europe in Italy, Romania, Greece, Switzerland, Turkey and Slovenia.
By providing access to multidisciplinary data and products from different solid Earth disciplines, such as geodesy, geochemistry, seismology and geology, the NFOs foster scientific progress in understanding seismogenic processes, ground shaking and earthquake forecasting.
The NFO community currently involves six full members and two observers, located across Europe and the Mediterranean region, in areas of elevated seismic hazard, providing highly accurate information on the mechanics and the geometry of active fault systems. In addition, these on-site observatories are like a natural laboratory collecting a broad range of signals related to the physical and chemical processes contributing to earthquakes and faulting. This is essential to model the causative processes down to very small spatial and temporal scales.
Collected data are also used to implement and operate innovative Early Warning Systems for the rapid detection of earthquakes, real-time estimation of earthquake magnitude and notification of expected shaking useful in the rapid response and risk mitigation process.
The monitoring networks operating in NFOs, composed of sensors deployed both at the Earth’s surface and in boreholes, allow the detection of micro-seismic events down to extremely low magnitudes, imaging the spatio-temporal evolution of seismicity with unusual details. The TCS NFOs has the ambition to facilitate scientific collaborations and technological innovation, also including scientific deep drilling and the use of Artificial Intelligence for improving the detection of micro-seismicity.
The TCS NFO brings in EPOS a young and lively scientific community committed to foster data sharing and the integration of novel scientific products needed to increase global access to solid Earth data and strengthening the connections with international initiatives dedicated to monitoring and studying active fault zones. The NFO involved in the TCS also includes Geohazard Supersites established in Group on Earth Observations.