Einstein-Telescope in the Euregio-Meuse-Rhine – Preliminary engineering geological site characterization for siting and design

Burchartz, Raphael; Waldvogel, Marius; Chudalla, Nils; Achtziger-Zupančič, Peter; Wannenmacher, Helmut; Vink, Bjorn; Linde, Frank; Orban, Philippe; Spychala, Yvonne; Hamdi, Pooya; Jalali, Mohammadreza; Nguyen, Frédéric; Fuentes, Raul; Berg, Nastassja; Shani-Kadmiel, Shahar; Wellmann, Florian; Kukla, Peter; Amann, Florian

doi:10.1007/s10064-025-04623-2

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Einstein-Telescope in the Euregio-Meuse-Rhine – Preliminary engineering geological site characterization for siting and design

Burchartz, Raphael; Waldvogel, Marius; Chudalla, Nils et al.

2025 • In Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment, 84 (12)

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https://hdl.handle.net/2268/338882

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10.1007/s10064-025-04623-2

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Keywords :

Einstein Telescope; Site selection; Euregio-Meuse-Rhine; Regional geology; Gravitational waves; Tunneling

Abstract :

[en] Modern gravitational-waves astronomy is moving underground. Geological units act as noise-dampening covers to isolate highly sensitive gravitational-wave detectors from ambient noise disturbances, which poses challenges for the siting, planning, and construction of detectors. The current feasibility study for the Einstein Telescope (ET), the European third-generation gravitational-waves detector, aims to find the most suitable site for construction and operation from various perspectives. One potential site is the Euregio-Meuse-Rhine (EMR) area in the border region between the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany. The Einstein Telescope is planned as a large-scale underground infrastructure with over 30 km of tunnels and various cavern constructions, approximately 250 m below the surface. This paper presents the preliminary results of the first site characterization phase for this site from an engineering geological perspective. The results show (1) complex geological conditions of siliciclastic and carbonate, brittle and hard Paleozoic (Frasnian to Westphalian) rocks beneath a cover of soft, partly unconsolidated Cretaceous and Cenozoic sediments, (2) the strong influence of several tectonic events, especially the thrust-and-fault belt of the Variscan Front and the opening of the Lower Rhine Graben, (3) variable and in places high hydraulic conductivities (10 − 5 m/s) and, (4) variable rock mechanical properties of potential host rock formations (e.g. Famennian and Namurian rocks). Finally, an engineering geological assessment of the suitability, challenges, and requirements for future work associated with the construction of the ET in the EMR region is presented.

Disciplines :

Geological, petroleum & mining engineering

Author, co-author :

Burchartz, Raphael

Waldvogel, Marius

Chudalla, Nils

Achtziger-Zupančič, Peter

Wannenmacher, Helmut

Vink, Bjorn

Linde, Frank

Orban, Philippe ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Urban and Environmental Engineering

Spychala, Yvonne

Hamdi, Pooya

More authors (8 more)

Language :

English

Title :

Einstein-Telescope in the Euregio-Meuse-Rhine – Preliminary engineering geological site characterization for siting and design

Publication date :

19 November 2025

Journal title :

Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment

ISSN :

1435-9529

eISSN :

1435-9537

Publisher :

Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Volume :

Issue :

Peer reviewed :

Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi

Additional URL :

https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10064-025-04623-2.pdf

Name of the research project :

Interreg V-A Euregio Meuse-Rhine Programme - E-TEST

Available on ORBi :

since 23 December 2025

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