Overview
- GFZ researchers deployed about 500 seismic stations and a 64‑kilometer fiber‑optic cable between late 2022 and mid‑2023 to capture an unusually rich dataset.
- The new tomography images the upper 14 kilometers under Laacher See and places a channel‑like magmatic anomaly at roughly 10 kilometers depth.
- The anomaly measures about 3 kilometers across and dips about 53 degrees toward the Neuwieder Basin rather than extending vertically.
- More than 1,000 microearthquakes were precisely located in a year, clustering in a narrow vertical zone between Ochtendung and Laacher See and at edges of seismic anomalies.
- Strong seismic reflections under the Neuwieder Basin indicate crustal fluid accumulations, with analyses ongoing to determine whether they represent magma or magmatic fluids; results are published in Seismica, JGR: Solid Earth, and GJI.