
Sinkhole collapse processes generally occur in the uppermost few hundred meters of the Earth’s crust, and individual process components can in principle be simple and understood. However, pre-collapse processes and precursors interact on different spatio-temporal scales with small variation. This requires innovative, multi-scale observation, analysis and integrated early recognition concepts, especially for urban areas.
Two focus-areas are foreseen for pilot applications: area 1 in Hamburg, and area 2 in Thuringia, for which sinkhole unrest has been identified. These sites are representative of evaporitic sinkhole formation and are highly relevant since located in densely populated areas.
2016
- Al-Halbouni, D., Holohan, E.P., Saberi, L., Alrshdan, H., Sawarieh, A., Closson, D., Walter, T., Dahm, T., 2016. Sinkholes, subsidence and subrosion on the eastern shore of the Dead Sea as revealed by a close-range photogrammetry survey. Geomorphology, in revision.
- Gudmundsson & 47 others, 2016. Gradual caldera collapse at Bardabunga volcano, Iceland, regulated by lateral magma outflow. Science, 353, 6296; doi.org/10.1126/science.aaf8988. (numerical modeling approach has contributed)
- Kaufmann, G., Romanov, D., 2016. Structure and evolution of collapse sinkholes: Combined interpretation from physico-chemical modelling and geophysical field work. J. Hydrol., 540, 688-698; dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2016.06.050.
- Kersten, T., Kobe, M., Timmen, L., Gabriel, G., Schön, S., Vogel, D., 2016. On Integrated Geodetic Monitoring of Sinkhole-Induced Surface Deformation and Mass Dislocation by Levelling, Gravimetry and GNSS - Preliminary Report. Journal of Applied Geodesy, in revision.
- Wadas, S., Polom, U., Krawczyk, C.M., 2016. High-resolution shear wave reflection seismics as tool to image near-surface subrosion structures – a case study in Bad Frankenhausen, Germany. Solid Earth, accepted; doi:10.5194/se-2016-91.
2015
- Dahm, T., Heimann, S., Cesca, S., Holohan, E., Al-Halbouni, D., Jousset, P., 2015. Beiträge der Seismologie zur Untersuchung der Bruchmechanik von Erdfällen, Stollen- und Kaldera-Einstürzen. In: Fechner, T., Litwinska-Kemperink, T., Joswig, M., Orlowsky, D., Schuck, A., Yaramanci, U. (Ed.): DGG-Kolloquium Georisiken-Erdfälle, DGG Sonderband I/2015, pp. 31-48.
- Kaufmann, G., Romanov, D., 2015. Numerische Modellierung von Verkarstung, Hohlraumbildung und Erdfallstrukturen am Beispiel eines Erdfalls im Gipskarst. In: Fechner, T., Litwinska-Kemperink, T., Joswig, M., Orlowsky, D., Schuck, A., Yaramanci, U. (Ed.): DGG-Kolloquium Georisiken-Erdfälle, DGG Sonderband I/2015, pp. 5-18, ISSN 0947-1944, Deutsche Geophysikalische Gesellschaft (DGG).
- Krawczyk, C.M., Polom, U., Buness, H., 2015. Geophysikalische Schlüsselparameter zur Überwachung von Erdfällen – Stand und Ziele der aktiven Seismik. In: Fechner, T., Litwinska-Kemperink, T., Joswig, M., Orlowsky, D., Schuck, A., Yaramanci, U. (Ed.): DGG-Kolloquium Georisiken-Erdfälle, DGG Sonderband I/2015, pp. 19-30, ISSN 0947-1944, Deutsche Geophysikalische Gesellschaft (DGG).
2011
- Krawczyk, C.M. & Dahm, T., 2011. Charakterisierung und Überwachung von Salz-bezogenen Erdfällen in urbanen Gebieten. White Paper, www.liag-hannover.de.
- GFZ Helmholtz-Zentrum für Geoforschung,
Charlotte Krawczyk, Torsten Dahm, Eleonora Rivalta, Djamil, Al-Halbouni - Leibniz-Institut für Angewandte Geophysik (LIAG), Hannover
Gerald Gabriel, Ulrich Polom, Saskia Tschache, Adelheid Weise - Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universität Hannover (LUH),
Steffen Schön, Ludger Timmen, Tobias Kersten - Universität Hamburg (UHH),
Dirk Becker, Ali Dehghani, Klemen Zaksek - Technische Universität Berlin (TUB),
Frank Börner, Carsten Rücker, Franziska Mai - Freie Universität Berlin (FUB),
Georg Kaufmann, Douchko Romanov - GGL Geophysik und Geotechnik Leipzig GmbH (GGL),
Andreas Schuck - Helmholtz-Zentrum für Umweltforschung GmbH – UFZ, Leipzig,
Ulrike Werban, Thomas Vienken, Thomas Tippelt - Behörde für Umwelt und Energie (BUE), Hamburg,
Renate Taugs, Alf Grube, Doris Bunge - Thüringer Landesanstalt für Umwelt und Geologie (TLUG), Weimar, Lutz Katzschmann, Ina Pustal, Sven Schmidt
- Landesamt für Landwirtschaft, Umwelt und ländliche Räume (LLUR), Flintbek,
Reinhard Kirsch, Thomas Liebsch-Dürschner

Our meshed concept comprises six inter-connected workpackages (WPs) that investigate large to small scale phenomena, consider time-dependent data, and combine different field data types with simulations for process understanding:
- WP1: key properties of critical zones in sinkholes (LIAG),
- WP2: seismic monitoring and characterisation (UHH, GFZ, LIAG),
- WP3: surface deformation and mass dislocation (LUH, GGL, LIAG),
- WP4: rock-soil-water interaction (TUB, UFZ),
- WP5: sub-surface cavity and collapse evolution (GFZ, FUB),
- WP6: protocols and decision process (geological surveys BUE, LLUR, TLUG).