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GFZ Helmholtz-Zentrum für Geoforschung


San Andreas Fault: Hidden movements revealed by artificial intelligence

Researchers uncovered previously undetected slow slip events in Parkfield, California, and found that these silent fault movements systematically follow increased low-frequency earthquake activity. The discovery suggests that slow slip may play an important role in how stress evolves along active faults.

SourceGFZ Helmholtz-Zentrum für Geoforschung·JournalNature Communications·TypeData/statistical analysis·DateJul 9, 2026

New pantropical carbon database to support more complete UN climate reporting on forest degradation and regeneration

A new pantropical carbon database synthesizes data from 146 studies to better understand the impact of forest degradation and regeneration on the global carbon cycle. The study reveals that degraded forests recover faster than fully cleared land, while preserving forest structure enhances carbon recovery.

SourceGFZ Helmholtz-Zentrum für Geoforschung·JournalScience Advances·TypeMeta-analysis·DateJul 3, 2026

New pantropical carbon database to support more complete UN climate reporting on forest degradation and regeneration

A new pantropical carbon database synthesizes data from 146 studies to better understand the effects of forest degradation and regeneration on the global carbon cycle. The study reveals that degraded forests recover faster than fully cleared land, accumulating more above-ground carbon over time.

SourceGFZ Helmholtz-Zentrum für Geoforschung·JournalScience Advances·TypeMeta-analysis·DateJul 3, 2026

New model for the complex earthquake patterns of the Phlegraean Fields near Naples

A recent study combines two modelling approaches to capture the seismicity associated with land uplift and earthquake swarms in the Phlegraean Fields. The model explains long-term trends in earthquake activity by combining changes in stress within the Earth's crust with friction behaviour of geological faults.

SourceGFZ Helmholtz-Zentrum für Geoforschung·JournalNature Communications·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateMar 26, 2026

National analysis maps hospital vulnerability to flood-driven traffic disruptions

A German nationwide study uses a new simulation approach to map hospital vulnerability to flood-driven traffic disruptions. 75 hospitals across Germany are identified at risk of patient surges beyond their regular capacity due to an increase in demand by more than 30 percent.

SourceGFZ Helmholtz-Zentrum für Geoforschung·JournalCommunications Earth & Environment·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateFeb 18, 2026

A promising new method for early warning of volcanic eruptions

Researchers have developed a new detection method called 'Jerk' that can identify extremely subtle ground movements as precursors of volcanic eruptions. The method was tested at a volcano observatory on La Réunion island and predicted 92% of eruptions between 2014 and 2023, with warning times ranging from minutes to hours.

SourceGFZ Helmholtz-Zentrum für Geoforschung·JournalNature Communications·TypeData/statistical analysis·DateJan 29, 2026

Surprising findings on the structure of the Eifel volcanoes

A large-scale measurement campaign with over 500 seismic stations has produced the first high-resolution image of the structures beneath the Eifel volcanoes. The data reveals a magma reservoir deeper and differently oriented than previously assumed, with surprising findings on recent microearthquakes and fluid accumulations in the crust.

SourceGFZ Helmholtz-Zentrum für Geoforschung·JournalSeismica·TypeExperimental study·DateDec 19, 2025

Where does continental material on islands come from?

Oceanic islands far from active plate tectonic boundaries contain materials that originate from continents. Researchers propose a new mechanism: 'mantle waves' scraping material from beneath continents, transporting it into the Earth's mantle and feeding volcanic eruptions. This process can occur without mantle plumes.

SourceGFZ Helmholtz-Zentrum für Geoforschung·JournalNature Geoscience·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateNov 11, 2025

Turning smartphones into earthquake sensors

Citizens' smartphones can be used to create highly detailed site amplification maps, providing critical input for seismic hazard assessment and supporting earthquake emergency response. The new approach, based on the Earthquake Network initiative, aggregates thousands of measurements to yield reliable high-resolution amplification maps.

SourceGFZ Helmholtz-Zentrum für Geoforschung·JournalNature Communications·TypeData/statistical analysis·DateOct 30, 2025

How mountains are shaped by far-away forces

A team of geoscientists identified a subtle force driving mountain building and compression of the Earth's crust hundreds of kilometers away from the zone of subduction. The study reveals that when two nearby subduction zones dip in the same direction, it affects backarc areas, leading to the formation of mountains.

SourceGFZ Helmholtz-Zentrum für Geoforschung·JournalNature Geoscience·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateAug 28, 2025

Unlocking Earth’s deep past

Researchers challenge prevailing theory by suggesting subduction and continental crust formation were active in the Hadean period. A new study presents evidence of extensive subduction and continent formation hundreds of millions years earlier than previously believed.

SourceGFZ Helmholtz-Zentrum für Geoforschung·JournalNature Communications·TypeExperimental study·DateAug 7, 2025

Earthquake rupture patterns improve the assessment of seismic hazard

Researchers have shown that earthquakes in the Marmara region transport a large amount of energy towards Istanbul, with most quakes exhibiting an eastward rupture direction. This finding has important implications for urban planning, emergency response, and seismic hazard maps, which will be taken into account in future studies.

SourceGFZ Helmholtz-Zentrum für Geoforschung·JournalGeophysical Research Letters·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateMar 14, 2025

Natural hydrogen: a sustainable energy source in mountain ranges

A team of researchers found that mountain ranges with deep mantle rocks near the surface are ideal for large-scale natural hydrogen generation and accumulation. This process, called serpentinization, can produce up to 20 times more hydrogen than in rift environments, providing a promising alternative to synthetic hydrogen production.

SourceGFZ Helmholtz-Zentrum für Geoforschung·JournalScience Advances·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateFeb 19, 2025