Passive seismic campaign for geothermal exploration to be done in Thurgau, Switzerland
Steckborn, Kanton Thurgau, Switzerland (source: flickr/ dmytrok, creative commons)
Carlo Cariaga
4 Mar 2025
A one-month passive seismic survey to identify subsurface structures and a potential geothermal aquifer is set to start in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland.
A passive seismic campaign will be carried out in Thurgau, Switzerland to help identify subsurface structures and potential deep aquifers as part of a project to explore the use of geothermal resources. The measurement campaign still start on the 1st week of March and will take about a month.
The geophysical measurements will be done by Geothermie Thurgau AG in collaboration with the University of Geneva and ETH Zurich. This will be the first field measurements for the project “Thurgau’s use of energy from underground 2030” (Thurgauer Energienutzung aus dem Untergrund 2030 / TenU 2030). Phase 2 of the project aims to use geophysical measurements to identify promising locations for exploration drilling in the canton of Thurgau.
The TenU 2030 project had been first announced in 2021, aiming to do detailed research on the subsurface in Thurgau which can then be used for further geothermal development. In 2023, the project received a positive vote from the population of the canton as part of a wide Thurgau package of opportunities.
The upcoming measurements will use the Nodal Ambient Noise Tomography (NANT) method. This is an exploration method that is considered non-invasive and passive and thus, no seismic sources such as vibrating trucks will be used. The method uses seismic waves that originate from ambient noise that is generated by natural phenomena.
300 measuring devices will be distributed across the canton and will remain in the ground for about a month. These will then be collected again for the data to be processed.
Similar experiments have already been successfully carried out in various regions, including the cantons of Basel-Stadt, Basel-Landschaft and Aargau, as well as in Germany, France and Italy.
Source: Geothermie Thurgau
