Extensive geophysical measurements at the Markusberg tunnel, Luxembourg

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© Nino Menzel

From May 12-16, the GIM conducted a comprehensive geophysical survey on top of and inside the Markusberg tunnel connecting Luxembourg and Germany.

The tunnel suffers from pronounced swelling of anhydrite to gypsum potentially affecting its integrity. As part of an ongoing research project, we conducted a 3D shear-wave reflection seismic survey on top as well as electrical resistivity tomography between the tunnel and the surface to shed light on the geology and potentially the presence and pathways of water.

Many thanks to our partners at the Geological Survey of Luxemburg as well as the Chair of Engineering Geology at RWTH Aachen University for the support on site and (geo)technical insights.

Unusual place to conduct geophysics, perfect weather (for the ones on top of the tunnel 😜) and a great team effort!

Impressions from the Markusberg field measurements