My PhD project is part of the DeepNL programme, which focusses on gaining a better understanding of the Groningen gas field and associated seismic events and land subsidence. In my project, I specifically look into the role of the formations directly over- and underlying the reservoir rock. I perform rock mechanical experiments at in-situ conditions at the High Pressure and Temperature laboratory (HPT lab) at Utrecht University, as well as microstructural analyses, to gain insight in the dominant processes and mechanisms in these rocks.