Research

We study materials from the Earth from atomic to planetary scale and try to understand the evolution of the planet and the processes that shape it, with respect to the past, present and future. This understanding is of increasing importance to humankind and has a growing influence on the way we see the “earth system” both on a regional and global level. The future development of the Earth concerning the availability of geological resources like petroleum and fresh water, or the disposal of radioactive waste and carbon dioxide are issues that need to be solved.

One of our most important tasks is the education of the future stakeholders in science, technology, politics and public administration. This encompasses natural resources, protection of water supplies, natural hazards, energy resources, climate and environmental challenges, existing waste deposits, and structural and civil engineering that ranges from building ground to tunnelling. Our department is externally oriented. Teaching and research activities are closely linked with the department of agricultural sciences, life sciences, engineering sciences as well as physics, chemistry, and materials sciences. In order to face future challenges, our courses offer subjects in fundamental as well as applied natural sciences. The study is enhanced by close contact to research, collaboration with industry, and relationships to other universities worldwide.

Institutes and professorships

Our central research questions are worked on by research groups that are assigned to one of the three institutes in the department.

Interdisciplinary research areas

Due to the interdisciplinary nature of the research fields in the area of earth sciences, several cross-departmental projects have been established.

One example is the Bedretto Underground Laboratory for Geosciences and Geoenergies (BedrettoLab) led by Prof. Domenico Giardini, Prof. Stefan Wiemer and Prof. Hansruedi Maurer. The BedrettoLab is a research infrastructure of ETH Zurich, where different groups conduct together with national and international partners experimental research. Equipped with state-of-the-art technology, the BedrettoLab offers ideal conditions for studies focusing on the behaviour of the deep underground. At the BedrettoLab, researchers gain new scientific knowledge in areas such as geothermal energy, earthquake physics and the development of innovative techniques and sensors.

The BedrettoLab is located in the Swiss Alps, 1.5 kilometres below the surface and in the middle of a 5.2 kilometre long tunnel connecting the Ticino with the Furka railway tunnel.

Research questions

Earth scientists at ETH Zurich together with scientist from the University of Zurich try to find answers to the following questions:

• How can we find essential resources, which are buried deep in the Earth, or how can we gather geothermal energy in an economical way?
  
• Why are earthquakes an issue in Switzerland and why can't we predict the next rock fall or a landslide in the Alps?
• Where can we safely deposit waste and how can we undertake new building developments and traffic infrastructure that pose no risk to our groundwater or to future generations?
  
• How did the Earth form in the solar system, and how did life develop on our planet – from the first DNA to microbes and dinosaurs to the first humans?
  
• What is the origin of the Earth's magnetic field and how can we assess earthquake hazards and volcanic eruptions?
• What can meteorites tell us about the origins of the planets, what is the history of the moon and the Earth?
• Why and how did the Alps and other mountain ranges form, and what determines their development and their topography?
• Will the Gulf Stream loose its intensity in the coming millennia? And if so will this lead to Europe disappearing underneath an ice sheet? Or will the atmosphere warm up and cause  worldwide flooding? Given this situation – what can we do?

To reach our goals, we carry out laboratory experiments, extensive field campaigns, computer  simulations as well as remote sensing, for example using satellites. The Earth provides us with an archive, which we use to understand complex global processes. The exploration of this archive, which includes rocks, deep-sea sediments, glaciers and ice sheets, is essential for the understanding of our current problems: “The key to the future lies in the past”.