Earthquakes in Groningen

In 2012, an earthquake with a magnitude of 3.6 (Mw) occurred in Huizinge, in the northern Netherlands. This earthquake was a result of gas extraction from the Groningen gas field, one of the largest gas fields in the world.

Induced seismicity, or earthquakes caused by human activities, had been recorded since the 1990s. However, the relatively large magnitude of the earthquake in 2012 caused significant public unrest, leading to political discussions and ultimately the decision to halt gas production by the end of 2024. 

In this presentation, Dr. Andre Niemeijer will explain how, in the High Pressure and Temperature Laboratory at Utrecht University, we can replicate the conditions in the Groningen gas field through experiments. These experiments show how the rocks in the Groningen gas field deform and eventually break due to the changing pressure and temperature conditions resulting from years of gas extraction. The results of these experiments help improve earthquake models for the Groningen gas field, allowing us to better predict where and when earthquakes will occur along faults. 

André Niemeijer

André Niemeijer is currently the head of the high-pressure and temperature laboratory at the Department of Earth Sciences and holds the position of Associate Professor. He obtained his PhD in 2006 at Utrecht University and then moved to the United States for a postdoctoral research position at Pennsylvania State University. During this time, he studied how the interaction between fluids and fault rocks influences the potential of faults to generate earthquakes. In 2009, he moved to Rome, where he worked for 1.5 years at the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Volcanologia on the development of a device to simulate earthquakes. In 2010, André returned to Utrecht with a personal grant from NWO for a third postdoctoral position. In 2013, he was successful in securing two personal grants, one from NWO and one from the EU, totaling more than 2 million euros. Since then, he has led several industry and government-sponsored projects focusing on research into natural and induced earthquakes.