On Thursday 15 June 2023, starting at 10 AM, the CRONOS project presented the project itself to media representatives, as well as the acquired equipment worth a total of around 710,000 EUR. The presentation took place in front of the building of the Department of Chemistry of the Faculty of Science of the University of Zagreb. The Embassy of the Kingdom of Norway and the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds supported us in the presentation.
Those gathered were greeted by the State Secretary of the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds, Mr. Domagoj Mikulić, H. E. Mr. Haakon Blankenborg, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Norway, and the dean of the Faculty of Science Prof. Mirko Planinić. After that, the project manager Assoc. Prof. Snježana Markušić briefly presented the project and equipment.
Mr. Domagoj Mikulić, pointed out that this project invests in permanent capital – in extremely valuable equipment and young researchers, which creates prerequisites for conducting research long after the formal end of this project.
Mr. Haakon Blankenborg, in his speech, emphasized that the purpose of this joint project is to reduce the risk of earthquakes. He emphasized that experts cannot prevent earthquakes, but with the help of better research, data, and analysis, they can make society more prepared and safer.
Prof. Mirko Planinić thanked everyone who helped make this project happen. He emphasized that by acquiring new knowledge, we can gradually increase the safety of our society, here by providing information to builders for safe construction.
In her address, Assoc. Prof. Snježana Markušić thanked everyone in the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds and M. Sc. Marko Pavić, former minister, for the initiative that was accepted and realized by approvement of this project. She also thanked the employees of the Faculty’s procurement and accounting services, who enabled the successful implementation of the demanding and lengthy public procurement procedure.
After the speech, there was a display of the equipment and a demonstration of its operation, with prepared refreshments. The equipment is displayed at five points.
Within the Component 1 of the CRONOS project, acquired instruments have the purpose to monitor seismicity, analyse the source of earthquakes, map the faults that cause them, and determine the structure of the Earth. These are classic high-quality seismographs and the most modern (so-called state-of-the-art) device distributed acoustic sensor unit (DAS). You can read more information about these devices on the blog.
The DAS unit FEBUS A1 DAS of the French manufacturer FEBUS Optics was presented by Asst. Prof. Josip Stipčević. This device measures the movement of the ground, more precisely its deformation, based on a series of laser pulses that are sent into the optical fiber and scattered back to the device. The device enables readings usually every 2 m along several tens of kilometers of optical cable and can be connected to already installed optical cables. The purchased device has a value of 190,000 EUR (including VAT).
Dinko Šindija, Ph.D. presented the seismograph, which consists of a Trillium compact seismometer (sensor) and a Centaur AD-converter, on which data is stored locally. The manufacturer of the instruments is the Canadian company Nanometrics. A total of 13 seismographs worth 148,750 EUR (including VAT) were purchased.
The Component 2 of the CRONOS project focuses on the consequences of earthquakes – how seismic waves affect the ground, or the surface of the Earth, and buildings on it. Special attention is paid to (very) shallow soil structures and their properties, and it is studied how soft soils amplify seismic waves. Instruments suitable for this type of research were acquired: a wireless multi-channel system for active and passive geophysical and seismic measurements, classical and borehole accelerographs, and small Tromino instruments. You can read more about instruments and methods on our blog.
Iva Lončar and Lada Dvornik presented a small portable device Tromino from the Italian manufacturer MoHo. It records the ambient (seismic) noise, which is then analysed to determine the local properties of the soil. It is also used to determine the basic dynamic characteristics of buildings. The CRONOS project procured seven such devices worth 70,000 EUR (including VAT).
Asst. Prof. Davor Stanko, Asst. Prof. Mario Gazdek and Bruno Mravlja presented accelerographs, devices that are particularly important in recording the acceleration in/on the ground caused by the passage of seismic waves generated near the epicentre of a strong earthquake. The project CRONOS acquired 11 Obsidian accelerographs from the American manufacturer Kinemetrics worth 218,625 EUR (VAT included) and three borehole accelerograph systems consisting of the surface sensor Episensor and the SBEPI borehole probe, also from Kinemetrics worth 149,875 EUR (VAT included). They also presented a wireless multi-channel system for active and passive geophysical and seismic measurements from the American manufacturer Geometrics Inc. with 18 measuring units for investigating the structure of underground structures up to and deeper than 100 m. The purchase value of this system is 82,000 EUR (including VAT).
Prepared by Iva Dasović
