Prof. Dr.
Patricia Martinez Garzon

Function and Responsibilities:
Head of the working group 4.2.1 "Seismomechanics and Slip Transients" at GFZ
Prof. of Applied Seismology at RWTH Aachen University (from March 2025)
PI of W2 Helmholtz First-time professorial appointment for excellent female scientists (from March 2025)
co-PI of GFZ Plate Boundary Observatory (PBO) Türkiye
Sub-topic Speaker within PoF-IV program, Topic 3.2 "Investigation of temporal changes and the late stage before major events"
Research Interests:
- Physics of earthquakes: how do they initiate, propagate and stop
- Combining seismology and fault mechanics to illuminate deformation patterns on transform faults
- The interplay between seismic and aseismic slip and how does it affect seismic hazard
- Characterization of the stress field: principal stress orientations, magnitudes, stress heterogeneity
- Fluid-induced seismicity (geothermal, CO2 storage)
- Learning from the physics of rock deformation experiments to better understand earthquakes in nature
Curious ? More about our research on www.saidan.org
Career:
Education:
PhD at GFZ and Free University of Berlin and in the frame of the HAI program
Master in Geophysics and Meteorology (two years degree)
Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM), Spain.
Final Master Thesis: “Dynamic deformations from seismicity near the Itoiz Reservoir, Northern Spain”.
09-2010:
Physics Degree (five years degree)
Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM), Spain
Projects:
- QUAKEHUNTER: Understanding earthquake nucleation on natural faults
- SEISMENET: Seismo-geodetic network and deformation studies on the creeping segment of the North Anatolian Fault
- SAIDAN: Seismic and Aseismic Deformation in the brittle crust: from Anthropogenic to natural hazard
- Helmholtz Postdoc Programme: "Earthquake Hazard due to reservoir stimulation: A geomechanical study linking hazard and induced seismicity".
- Induced seismicity at The Geysers geothermal field: Analysis of spatiotemporal variations in the seismicity and stress field related to fluid injection and extraction.
- Helmholtz-Alberta Initiative (HAI): Analysis of induced seismicity related to CO2 storage and laboratory experiments on CO2 saturated samples.
- Geophysical Observatory North Anatolian Fault (GONAF): Participation in management, data analysis and field drilling work.
Research Boards and Committees:
Since 01-2024:
Associate Editor of Geophysical Research Letters
01-2021 - 12-2023:
Associate Editor of Journal of Geophysical Research - Solid Earth
Awards:
05-2014: Best Student Presentation Award at the Annual Meeting of the Seismological Society of America (SSA), Anchorage, Alaska
12-2014 : Friedrich-Robert-Helmert-Award for the best doctoral dissertation of the year – awarded by the Association of Friends and Supporters of the GFZ e.V.